C) Bench
200x5x1 (55%)
235x5x1 (65%)
275x4x3 (75%)
D) DB Flyes
35x10x5
E) DB Lunge
35x5x5
Today was harder than expected.
I had to lift at work with a shitty bar that had no knurling. To top it off, I didn’t have any chalk. Did I mention that the bar is bent? I managed to get all my reps, but grip was definitely a challenge. By the way, hairspray doesn’t work in place of chalk. It’s sticky at first, but slippery when you grip the bar. Hey, I had to try something.
Benching still feels like a vacation compared to DL’ing.
DB Flyes have really improved my right shoulder’s range of motion…and knock on wood…it is completely pain free right now.
A) Squat
265x4x1 (50%)
315x3x2 (60%)
370x3x2 (70%)
420x3x4 (80%)
B) Bench
185x5x1 (50%)
220x5x1 (60%)
255x5x4 (70%)
C) DB Flyes
35x10x5
D) Rope Pushdowns
65x10x5
E) GM’s
210x5x5 (40%)
1hr 15min
It was nice not having to repeat Squats today. My shoulders were feeling a little sore, so the hardest part of the day was holding the bar in a low bar position. My back felt better than expected after Wednesdays Deadlift session and the 8" of snow that I had to shovel.
Next week is all screwed up. I am supposed to lift M/W/F but work is crazy and I have meetings on Monday and Wednesday during the only time I could have lifted. I will either have to go Sun/Tu/Th or Tu/Th/Sa. I will decide on Sunday morning based on how recovered I feel.
B) Squat
265x5x1 (50%)
315x5x1 (60%)
370x5x5 (70%)
C) Bench Press
200x5x1 (55%)
235x4x2 (65%)
255x4x5 (70%)
D) Flat DB Flyes
35x10x5
E) GM’s
210x5x5 (40%)
1hr 30min
I had to train on 1 days less rest due to a busy work week next week, but everything felt really good today.
One nice thing that I’ve gotten out of Sheiko so far is the chance to really work on technique. I try to treat every rep as a single and set up like I would for a meet. My setup has really improved in my Bench and my Squat feels very solid out of the hole. I also feel like my flexibility has improved for both lifts as well.
Deadlifts felt pretty good today. I used a belt and was actually able to get into a good position with it. My hands were pretty chewed up by the end, so I used the straps for the last two sets of Elevated Deads.
This workout took about 15 minutes longer than it should have. Having the shits 5 times is not useful when you have 16 sets of Squats to get through. At least I was well rested between sets.
I think I’ll probably increase the weights for the Flyes and Pushdowns next week. I have always kept these light, but they are feeling even easier than usual as of late. The Flyes have definitely improved my shoulder ROM, which is something that needed work.
Why is there such a huge difference between a 75% Bench and a 75% Deadlift? When I’m Benching I feel like I could do 20 sets, but by the 5th set of DL’s I’m friggin’ toast.
Friday is Bench Press Pyramid day (16 sets), so I may eat my words, we’ll see. I also have 47 total sets for Friday, so I may bring a picnic lunch.
[quote]Modi wrote:
DB Flyes have really improved my right shoulder’s range of motion…and knock on wood…it is completely pain free right now.[/quote]
But you have to do face pulls and push-ups and seated rows and t bar rows and scap retraction while putting bench press on hold for your shoulder to improve. Wait, you don’t???
This workout took about 15 minutes longer than it should have. Having the shits 5 times is not useful when you have 16 sets of Squats to get through. At least I was well rested between sets.
quote]
I went through these 47 sets as fast as possible today. Aside from taking about 2 hours, it didn’t feel all that bad. Squats felt strong both times, and Bench felt solid as well. My tris were a little sore today from the Nosebreakers yesterday, but the weights still moved pretty fast.
My only real complaint was that by the second round of Squats, my shoulders and elbows were starting to ache from all the sets. Time to ice up, and get some food in me.
[quote]mrodock wrote:
Modi wrote:
DB Flyes have really improved my right shoulder’s range of motion…and knock on wood…it is completely pain free right now.
But you have to do face pulls and push-ups and seated rows and t bar rows and scap retraction while putting bench press on hold for your shoulder to improve. Wait, you don’t???[/quote]
Well, I know that you were being sarcastic, but I was actually in a position about 2 years ago where my shoulders hurt so much that I was losing about 10lbs off my max on a weekly basis. I had a pretty bad muscular imbalance and a lot of scar tissue, and I saw a guy for Active Release Technique.
He allowed me to keep benching, but asked me to just maintain for a month or so while he worked out the adhesions and while I worked on a lot of the stuff you just mentioned. I still do BTN Pullaparts, Shoulder Dislocates, and Face Pulls before every session, and make sure I have some heavy horizontal pulling in the program.
My best advice would be to do the prehab before you get to the point I was at, not wait until it happens, or make sure your program is balanced enough that you don’t end up where I was.
I have been following your log and am interested to see how Sheiko works out for you. Do you have a meet coming up that you are training for? I will be interested to see how it will impact your total.
Powerliftingwatch opened up its lifter rankings for '08 and looks like your DL from your last meet would have/did make top 50, and only missed it for total by 15 lbs. Congrats, that is impressive.
My best advice would be to do the prehab before you get to the point I was at, not wait until it happens, or make sure your program is balanced enough that you don’t end up where I was.[/quote]
I do a lot of prehab . . . I just disagree with the notion that benching frequently (particularly if the technique is good) that it is horrible for the shoulders.
How much did you weigh when you ran the half marathon?
[quote]jerkwad55 wrote:
I have been following your log and am interested to see how Sheiko works out for you. Do you have a meet coming up that you are training for? I will be interested to see how it will impact your total.
Powerliftingwatch opened up its lifter rankings for '08 and looks like your DL from your last meet would have/did make top 50, and only missed it for total by 15 lbs. Congrats, that is impressive. [/quote]
Thanks for following along. Yes, I have a meet on Feb. 28th at Albany Strength. It’s a USAPL meet, and I’ve got a couple of friends that will be competing there as well. This will be my first time competing after a Sheiko cycle, so it should be very interesting.
I’d really like to get my DL moving again. I only put 9lbs on it last year, but my Squat came along nicely. I’m also anxious to see how my Bench does after this cycle.
I think I’ve been on that PL Watch list for the past couple of years for DL, and would certainly like to get there for Squat and Total this year. But my ultimate long range goal is to get my Elite total which is 1654 at 275 or 1607 at 242. Everything else is just a stepping stone.