Yo, what’s goin’ on here??
UPDATES?
.
5/3/1 Week 3 Day 3 (OHP/Deads). 5/21/12
Long delay between posts… had friends in from out of town last Wed-Thurs, Fri went straight from work up to baltimore for the weekend to go to the Preakness (tons of fun). Since I had my deload this week, I decided it was fine to push my dead/ohp workouts till today, giving me one heavy workout between last Tuesday and next Monday… counts as a deload.
My deads were god awful last time. I tried to fix my bent arms/getting too far over the bar issues, but in doing so, found like 3 more problems. I was pulling through the balls of my feet and not the heels, trying to squat the weight up instead of pull it, and still rounding my low back.
In other words, I didn’t know what would happen on deads today, didn’t care about weight/reps as much as I cared about getting some form work in.
Workout
Foam rolling, band work for shoulder mobility
A) Hang Cleans (haven’t done in forever)
bar x 8
105 x 5
130 x 4
145 x 3
160 x 2
B) Deads
160 x 5
200 x 5
245 x 3
-work sets-
305 x 5 <—every set up till here felt heavy. I was thinking of about 5 things at once on every pull, trying to do it perfect
345 x 3 ← reminded myself that I can only think about two things at once and still do something explosive (golf, lifting, anything). Thought about pulling thru my heels and arching my low back, spent way less time in my setup, got dumb and focused on just pulling, felt a shit ton smoother, all is well.
385(1+ ) x 4 ← felt decent, 20lbs more than last time I DL’d and same number of reps. 2reps off my all time rep PR at that weight.
C) Standing OHP
75 x 5
90 x 5
105 x 3
-work sets-
130 x 5
150 x 3
165(1+ ) x 5 with the ultimate grinder, weight actually came back down towards me before I pushed up and locked out. Wanted 6, but OK with 5 considering I don’t normally do heavy deads before I press
D) Lat Pulldown (pretty gassed by now but wanted a couple sets for my back)
150 x 7
135 x 10
135 x 8
25min walk home.
OK with this session considering I drank too much and got too little sleep basically Wednesday-Saturday. Deads felt a ton better.
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
Progress is progress…you are getting back into the swing of things…much better than the 2 year recovery period somebody else mentioend to you
oh yeah, and do it as written[/quote]
Thanks man, I agree.
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Yo, what’s goin’ on here??
UPDATES?
. [/quote]
Ask and you shall receive.
5/3/1 Deload. 5/23/12.
Forgot to update last night, mostly because deloads are about as exciting for me to think about as doing laundry.
Wasn’t going to wait on the incline bench to open up on a friggin deload day so I did a bit of some other stuff. My back was still sore from deads/pulldowns 2 days ago so there was no back work.
Also no warming up. It’s a deload… that being said, I was still being as explosive as possible… I like to think of my deloads as “speed work” so at least I get something out of em
Life is going well. Super busy/stressed at work lately for the first time in the 4-5 years I’e worked here. I very rarely have deadlines but several projects have had me doing time sensitive shit and I’m getting tired of it. Oh well, the work itself isn’t so bad.
Workout
A) Bench
95 x 5
120 x 5
145 x 5
B) Close Grip Bench… tried these not locking fully out and keeping constant tension, even with the light weight it felt a bit burn-y
135 x 10
145 x 10
145 x 10
C1) Lateral Raises
30 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10
C2) DB Hammer Curls
30 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10
25min walk home. Cooked up some steak and tried making homemade fries for the first (and probably last) time.
Why? WHat was wrong with your fries?
lol @ using more weight/reps for your bench assistance htan your actual bench!
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Why? WHat was wrong with your fries? [/quote]
I prefer not knowing what goes into them. Watching them cook (and soak) in a quart of veggie oil really grossed me out.
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
lol @ using more weight/reps for your bench assistance htan your actual bench!
[/quote]
haha I thought about that later. I thought it was a good deload weight at the time because I think anything not near failure is deloading. If someone doesn’t write down what I’m supposed to do for deload I way overestimate myself.
Whatever, if I can’t recover from 3 sets of triceps work in the next 5 days, I have bigger problems than bad use of programming!
back injury? what back injury
5/3/1 deload. 5/25/12.
For some reason I did a full body deload which kinda defeats the purpose of deload. Wanted to do squat deload, but also knew I wouldn’t hit a gym tomorrow so did my OHP deload, and haven’t worked out back in a real long time. whoops.
A) Squat
105 x 5
135 x 5
160 x 5
B) Leg Press
4pps 3x20
C) Standing OHP
70 x 5
90 x 5
105 x 5
D) did a few sets of t-bar rows and a set of chins
Nuthin to see here. Back at it for real next week.
[quote]fr0IVIan wrote:
back injury? what back injury[/quote]
Can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic because I talk about it constantly, but I detailed it at the bottom of pg 33 I think, and showed an x-ray at the bottom of the following page.
5/28/12. 5/3/1 Week 1 Day 1 (Bench)
Finally got another vid.
Felt strong today. Maybe Wendler knows what he’s doing with this whole “deload” phenomenon.
No time to chat… meetin the girl’s parents for the first time. Not really nervous because I know they’ll love me (who wouldn’t?)
Workout
No warmups/stretching, 25min walk in 90deg weather loosened me up plenty
A) Bench
95 x 5
120 x 5
145 x 3
-work sets-
160 x 5
185 x 5
210(5+ ) x 9
…3 sets of chins in between warmup bench sets
B1) Lat Pulldown
135* x 10
135 x 10
135 x 10
B2) Incline Bench
135 x 10
145 x 10
160 x 10 PR
D) Kroc Rows… way harder w/out chalk
100 x 20 each arm
E1) Tricep Pushdowns
3 x 15
E2) Face Pulls
3 x 15
E3) DB Hammer Curls
35lb 3 x 9
You should have just made sweet potato fries BAKED in coconut oil. Deep fryig + veggie oil is SOOO 1990’s.
That ain’t the way quality fries are made these days.
Season with something spicy maybe, paprika+chili powder
Or even herby.
I have to use herbs for everything cause spicey stuff makes me unable to breath afterward. I don’t even know why. Anything with any red spice in it makes me suffocate. Kinda sucks.
5/3/1 Week 1 Day 2 (Squat). 5/29/12.
Hypertrophy-ific workout today.
I have moved my stance way in on squats lately. It feels stronger, I can hit depth easier, and I can keep my chest up easier. All that said, I am starting to get a little too intense on squats, to the point where I’m not thinking about form at all on my top set. Tweaked my knee halfway through today’s top set, and 2-3 times I let my chest cave totally downwards.
I had one or two left in the tank strength-wise at the end though… conditioning was my downfall. I looked in the mirror after my last rep and my eyes were redder than my shorts. Figured it was smart to call it there.
Workout
Foam Rolling Hammies/IT bands/Lower back, leg swings front to back.
A) Squat
110 x 5
140 x 5
170 x 3
-work sets-
185 x 5
210 x 5
240(5+ ) x 10
B) Leg Press
5pps x 16 x 5sets OWIE IT BURNZZ
C1) Leg Curls
100 x 10-12ish x 3sets
C2) Ab Wheel
3x8
25min walk (halfway home, turn around because I forgot everything in the locker room, walk back to gym), metro, 10 min walk home fo real.
Then I grilled a turkey thigh for 20min and it wasn’t even close to cooked. Had 4 bites and replaced it with a protein shake + nuts for the protein/fat. Also had a large potato, quart of gatorade and 1/2cup+ of white rice with my dinner/PWO meal.
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
You should have just made sweet potato fries BAKED in coconut oil. Deep fryig + veggie oil is SOOO 1990’s.
That ain’t the way quality fries are made these days.
Season with something spicy maybe, paprika+chili powder
Or even herby.
I have to use herbs for everything cause spicey stuff makes me unable to breath afterward. I don’t even know why. Anything with any red spice in it makes me suffocate. Kinda sucks. [/quote]
How on earth do you do that? Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, how do you get the fries covered in it?
[quote]scj119 wrote:
How on earth do you do that? Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, how do you get the fries covered in it?[/quote]
haha I was wondering that too.
I do have this recipe for sweet potato fries, which is pretty delicious:
I haven’t figured out yet how to make them really crispy (I like my fries really crispy) but these are easy and quick.
My biggest problem with making it though is that potato fries take up way too much room for the amount of carbs they provide. I freaking love potatoes, but one serving (50 g) is basically a plateful when they’re all chopped up. Makes it hard to cook them up in bulk!
You trying to lift out at FF anytime this week? I can do Thursday/Friday/Saturday.
5/3/1 Week 1 Day 3 (OHP). 5/31/12.
Shitty fucking workout today. My overhead sucked for some reason. Doesn’t make sense, I’ve eaten/slept well all week. Just felt tired and couldn’t get my head “in the game” at all.
A few other things threw me off but I don’t feel like typing them. I am le tired.
Workout
Band work for shoulders
A1) Standing OHP
70 x 5
90 x 5
110 x 5
-work sets-
115 x 5
135 x 5
155(5+ ) x 6 crappy
A2) Underhand BB Row
135 x 10
160 x 10
175 x 10
190 x 10
B1) Lat Pulldown Neutral Grip… felt these good
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 10
B2) Dips
bw x 10
bw x 10
(bw+ 35) x 6
(bw+ 60) x 5 PR
Had to jet to make dinner with the little lady.
Also, OHP was mad easy once I got it halfway up. I stall in the first half on OHP and Bench. Looks like my triceps are fine and I need some stronger chest/shoulders. I’ll change my assistance accordingly once I’m back to a pure strength block.
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
[quote]scj119 wrote:
How on earth do you do that? Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, how do you get the fries covered in it?[/quote]
haha I was wondering that too.
I do have this recipe for sweet potato fries, which is pretty delicious:
I haven’t figured out yet how to make them really crispy (I like my fries really crispy) but these are easy and quick.
My biggest problem with making it though is that potato fries take up way too much room for the amount of carbs they provide. I freaking love potatoes, but one serving (50 g) is basically a plateful when they’re all chopped up. Makes it hard to cook them up in bulk!
You trying to lift out at FF anytime this week? I can do Thursday/Friday/Saturday.[/quote]
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll give it a shot.
5/3/1 Week 1 Day 4 (DL). 6/1/12.
I worked a 10hr day at the office, didn’t get to the gym till 715 on a Friday night, was totally zoned out, tired, felt like shit and falling asleep on the train ride there. So of course I had my best deadlifting session in 3 months since the injury.
Did not have time nor energy for any foam rolling or warmup exercises
Workout
A) Deads
160 x 5
205 x 5
250 x 3
-work sets-
270 x 5
310 x 5
355(5+ ) x 9 (+ 10lbs, + 2reps from 4 weeks ago… damn near PR)
B1) Front Squats
135 x 10
155 x 8
165 x 8
175 x 8
B2) bw GHRs
4 x 10
C) BB Shrugs (holy crap it’s been a long time and I was weak as shit)
225 x 10, 8, 8
5/3/1 Week 2 Day 1 (Bench). 6/4/12.
Decent workout today, not great.
Had a huge 9hr meeting today at work I had to present at, been stressing about it for a while. Woke up at 6am to go into work an hour early and finish my presentation. More “stressed” than “nervous” though, public speaking doesn’t really bother me. All that said, I was really happy with how it went. Calling in late tomorrow because I celebrated the end of the meeting tonight with the lady and some wine.
It seems like my training has more daily ups and downs than ever before. My daily totals are less predictable than ever. However, the general trend is upwards, so I don’t get too caught up in the ups and downs.
Messed up on the weight progression a little because I’m an idiot
Workout
Band shit for shoulders
A) Bench
95 x 5
125 x 5
145 x 3
-work sets-
160 x 3 (shoulda been 170)
195 x 3
220(3+ ) x 7. meh, wanted 8, but not bad
B1) Lat Pulldown (overhand)
130 x 10
130+ x 8
130+ x 10
130+ x 10
B2) Incline Bench
135 x 8
150 x 8
160 x 8
170 x 8 PR
C) Kroc Rows (chalked)
105 x 20 Weight PR
D1) Face Pulls
3 x 12-15
D2) MACHINE CURLZ
50 x 7
40 x 8
40 x 10
I like machine curls sometimes because they resist the motion all the way till the end of the contraction, free weights start getting easier the top 1/2 or so.
25min walk home.
PWO Dinner: 12oz sirloin steak, 1lb baked fries, 1/2cup white rice, quart of gatorade (65g sugars), ???glasses wine
6/5/12. Squat. 5/3/1 Week 2
Decent workout considering how tired I was today.
Something in my back is fucked I think. I noticed this before my injury, but I can’t support any weight bending over during the eccentric part of an exercise (think lowering yourself for good mornings and RDLs). It just feels way off, like something is going to break if I bend further than 10 degrees at the waist. Concentrics (deadlifts) are fine, I just can’t lower it.
I may try to get an MRI on my lower back or something. For now, all my lower back/hammy strength work will be concentric only.
Workout
(warmup) - foam rolling, leg swings front-to-back
A) Squat
115 x 5
145 x 5
170 x 3
-work sets-
190 x 3
220 x 3
255(3+ ) x 8
B) Leg Press
5.5pps x 13
5.5pps x 13
5.5pps x 13
5.5pps x 13
5.5pps x 13
C) Lying Hammy Curls
100 x 10
110 x 10
110 x 10
25min walk home.
8 reps in the 3’s week is always a good day in the gym!
I have a somewhat similar odd feeling while doing the eccentric for good mornings…it has diminished greatly after doing them for a while though…could it just be that you aren’t used to them?
I’m bored, and I want to type… I’m sure no one gives a shit, but here is how I’m currently constructing my assistance work for the slighty-more-hypertrophy-specific training block I’m in:
Leg Press is always performed with no complete lockouts for time under tension
5’s week:
Bench Assistance: Go for new 10rep max on Incline Press
Squat: 5 plates per side leg press, 5 sets, do 1 more rep per set than previous cycle
OHP: Dips - Alternate bw/weighted - if bodyweight, hit new total rep PR (in 5 sets). If weighted, hit new 5rep PR.
DL: New 10rep PR on Front Squats
3’s week:
Bench: Hit new 8 rep PR on Incline
Squat: 5 plates plus a 25lb on each side of Leg Press, 5 sets, do 1 more rep per set than previous cycle
OHP: same as above
DL: New 8 rep PR on Front squats
1’s week:
Bench: Hit new 5 rep PR on Incline
Squat: 6 plates per side Leg Press, 5 sets, 1 more rep per set than previous cycle
OHP: same as above
DL: New 5 rep max on Front Squats
It’s basically just a random “common sense” progression model… was not taken out of any book… I was just doing what felt right but realized I needed some form of progression and this is how I did it.
When I transfer into pure strength, I’m going to change up what I’m doing for assistance.
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
8 reps in the 3’s week is always a good day in the gym!
I have a somewhat similar odd feeling while doing the eccentric for good mornings…it has diminished greatly after doing them for a while though…could it just be that you aren’t used to them?[/quote]
Maybe, the weird thing is after 1 half-rep that feels like my back is tearing apart, I can then do a bunch of reps pretty much fine. It just feels like something is fundamentally wrong back there, as opposed to just being generally tight, if that makes sense.
I GIVE A SHIT, MAN!!!
Sounds like a good plan.
When are you going back into pure strength stuff?
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
I GIVE A SHIT, MAN!!!
Sounds like a good plan.
When are you going back into pure strength stuff?[/quote]
Don’t you leave this thread! You never answered my question about how you get coconut oil onto potatoes for baked fries (given that it is solid at room temperature).
I’m thinking sometime in July I’ll get back to focusing on weak points and lower rep stuff. Gonna try out a few different/new assistance ideas to see if any of it helps.