There was room left in that one, but I took a 7 week siesta from lifting due to surgery. I decided on a fresh training log. To sum up my training up to this point, I lifted for a few years without a clue, did 5/3/1 by the book for about a year, then tweaked 5/3/1 for another 6 months or so.
I suppose the first post is the mission statement, and I have had time to review my goals and whatnot. My primary goal is a 1500 total at 198 raw, along with a 300 OHP.
Best (only) meet lifts (kinda tanked it. 220 class):
Squat- 375
Bench- 335
Dead- 465
Far as my programming, for now Im just getting in the gym. I’m not really sure what I can and can’t do just yet. For instance, I’ve had two light bench sessions since surgery, and I can’t have my feet on the floor, any kind of arch is too much of a stretch on the stomach/incision. Squats feel okay, but my endurance is absolutely gone. I expect another month or so of just showing up, then Ill go on to an actual program.
Leg press, 3pps, high foot placement
3 sets of 15
superset with calf raises on same machine
3 sets of 30
After that, I walked aroudn the gym looking for something I could handle for abs, found a nautilus ab machine that did the trick. Rope crunches didnt quite work, and obviously any kind of sit up or ab wheel is out.
Today was the first day that felt like an actual workout, and it was nice finally having a least a few hundred pounds on my back. Also keeping a log on here helps me show up to the gym consistently, and thats all I need to do right now. Here goes.
Close grip bench
135x10x3
Superset with decline curls
25x12x3each
Lat pullldowns
100x10x3 long squeeze at the end of each rep
Superset with machine pec flies
Same weight reps sets
Cable rows
Same weightnreps set and squeeze
Superset with paused pushups
15x3
Looks like i lost more on my upper body than lower, but maybe thats just because i cant get any kind of arch yet. Also just dont feel as comfortable in general and shut it down a little earlier.
Glute Bridges: tried first with a barbell
135x10 (too much pressure)
then switched to
100# plate 10x3
Walking lunges x not many (runnin out of time)
Leg press machine to failure
full stack, high and wide as I could get my feet, deep as I could possibly go
Deads felt nice and light, but I didnt feel my glutes doing anything, so I tried to work on those. Didn’t really find anything that hit em. My gym has a back raise/GHR kinda thing, but its missing a piece, so its just a back raise.
Anyways, I think the whole glute activation craze is a bit exaggerated for the most part, but it applies to me personally. I dont feel em working, I dont ever get DOMS, and I have a history of hamstring problems. Could be a weak lower back too, I dunno.
Original plan was to bench, but my gym changed its fucking hours, again. Pecs are still pretty sore anyways, so plan B was to do 100 chins for time. Around rep 14 or so I decided that probly wasn’t a good idea, at 49, my shoulders and lats cramped up. Got 50 in about 8 minutes. Should note the reason I can’t chin well yet, is they are too hard on my abs, which is both good and bad. Bad, cuz my core frickin sucks. Good, cuz I think I have a good way to work on em for now.
After that I did 100 push ups for time, took exactly 3 minutes.
Hopefully I’m good to squat tomorrow, cuz I don’t feel like a day off yet.
DB Bulgarian split squats
40s x 5 each
45s x 5 each
50s x 5 each
55s x 5 each
Smith machine hack squat
3 sets of 10
90 each Leg Ext. and Leg Curl
Squats felt great other than my entire back/abs/core being fried. Shoulda gave that another day of recovery, but this works. Went on to try to take my lower back out of the movement, bulgarians worked well, but felt like cardio cuz Im such a fat turd. Hack squats I was pretty much out of gas for. Threw in some isolation to top it off.
Smith machine squats (racks were occupied)
sets of 2-3 up to where I lost bar speed, dunno what the weight was and don’t care. I can’t do high rep sets, I just fall apart.
bout 100 reps of various chins/lat pulldowns/etc, lookin for something easy on my core.
310 was a cakewalk all around, 330 was a mess. I think I’m flirting with an ab strain, so its time to get on a lower weight, higher rep program, at least a phase of one. I’ve decided on something based loosely on Ed Coan’s program.
Okay, first off: yes, I am butchering Ed Coans program. I think the reasons are legit though. From what I can find, today shoulda been 250-255x10x2. I know, it is supposed to be light, and my working max is low due to recovering, but thats just nuts. When I got to the 10th rep with 260, it felt like a warm-up. So, what I’m doing is tweaking the weights/reps a hair, and making the first working set an AMRAP set (sorta. I feel like I coulda took 260 to 30+ but those become ‘breathing squats’)
Basically I feel like I know my body and what I need to do to make progress within the limits of what I am capable of. Also it seems tough to do Coans program ‘by the book’ since the definitions of it are kinda vague/arbitrary. Anywho, enough ranting on that topic.
Second: I need to tweak assistance. Full stacks on the Leg Curl/Ext. machines for sets of 12 dont feel like enough work. Perhaps single leg on those too, so I can stay in that rep range.
Bit of a cold setting in, so my endurance was even worse than normal today. Still felt like an alright day though. I’d like to go heavy on dips, but they are just too hard on my chest/ribs.
Had a pretty solid cold settling in today. Squats felt horrible, even so light. Deads were a bit better. Worked up to a weight that was heavy-ish but fast, and did singles until the next one wouldnt have been fast. Bands added maybe 130 at lockout. I wouldve liked to do more today but its a light day and this cold is draggin me down.
Strict BB curl
35x10
55x10
65x10
75x10
Superset with reverse DB flies
4 sets of 12
Nautilus Super Pullover Machine
4 sets of 12
Lateral raise machine
3sets of 10
My pace today was very slow, basically watching football and dickin around on the ipad while lifting. I think it works out with the cold. Coan program squats tomorrow.
Squats
275x14
275x10
275x10 paused last rep ~2 count
Good Mornings
2 sets of 10
Leg Press/Calf raise superset
15/20x4
Leg Curl/Leg Ext. superset
15/15x3
Again, Coan program says 275x10x2, but I’m kinda doin my own thing. I think I’m gonna try doing a legit Coan cycle after this one. I’m gonna continue to try to set Post-surgery rep PR’s throughout this cycle.
Side note, my hamstrings felt frickin weird today. The left side of my hip felt out of whack before and during warmups, couldnt shake it, and it magically felt fine on the first work set. After that I got an odd feeling in my hammies that I cant explain. Not tight, not sore, I dunno. GM’s felt really good, so maybe I just need to up my GM/RDL work.
Bench
240x14 (only 2-3 left in the tank here)
240x10
Incline
190x10x2 (hardest sets of the day, my incline blows)
Close grip bench
185x10x2 (only paused the last few reps)
Decline curls/reverse fly superset
3 sets of 12s
football bar skullcrushers
75x12
85x12
95x12
Rope pushdowns
3 sets of 15
I did not feel very strong today, but the weights went up. I coulda got 240 for 16-17 today, and my closest rep record to that is 255x19, so I’m not far off. Hopefully this translates well to the heavier low reps.