Nice military press Abrams.
I appreciate the critique. I posted some of my thoughts in the other thread, I have a lot of room for improvement and I’ll get another video up in a month or so.
Front Squat from Thursday 06/04/09
Back Pain: 1/10
Overall Soreness: 3/10 (chest)
A. Front Squat: top 155x5
B. Hang Clean: 5x3x115
C. DB Reverse Lunge: 3x12x20
Turkish Get-up Practice
Quick and eventless.
Thanks Rape Weight (I laugh literally every time I see that name), that lift has been stuck forever and I’m glad to see it moving. Just gotta keep working on the form and keep from passing out.
Military from Friday, 06/05/09
Back Pain: 1/10
Overall Soreness: 1/10
A. Military: top 85x5
B. Hammer Chin: BWx13
C1. Seated Rack Lockout: 125x8, 115x10, 95x12
C2. DB Row: top 100x5
Curlmageddon
Hammer Chin is far from a PR but I didn’t have a video up yet of that or the Seated Lockouts so I figured I’d upload one. I’m going to take the Lockouts from one setting higher for the next wave and see how it works out.
Wave #4 (or so)
Low Bar Squat for 255: 215x5+, 230x3+, 240x1+, 155x5
Deficit DL (345 +10) for 355: 300x5+, 320x5+, 335x5+, 215x5
Military Press (135+5) for 140: 120x5+, 125x5+, 135x1+
Bench: 2 more weeks of Demolish, then a week of Floor Press then deload
More normal progression for everything and probably some different assistance work, but this cycle marks my slow return to Low Bar Squatting. I’ve been Front Squatting for a long ass time so this will be interesting.
I just wanted to stop by and say I have been following your log and I like the way you have put yours together. The soreness and backpain ratings are a good idea. Keep on going man!!!
Thanks man, I like to give some context to all the workouts and that’s just one way of it.
Deadlift from Monday 06/08/09
Back Pain: 6/10 (started during deads)
Overall Soreness: 1/10
A. Deficit DL: 230x5, 265x5, 300x10
B. Hang Clean practice (2x2 and then skip)
Complex (High Pull, RDL, Front Squat, BB Row) 8 reps
85, 95, skip
300x10 isn’t a bad lift, but SI joint area seized up during the deadlift set. This is the typical episode that describes 95% of my back pain- any kind of lower back flexion becomes very difficult(equals uncomfortable squatting and deadlifting) and any else that’s basically not walking. There’s some pain but it’s a lot more of a feeling of incredible tightness together with some weakness.
Complexes were going pretty good too but I had to cut them short. Some chiropractic on Wednesday, and better luck next time.
Nice deficits. How high up are you when you do them?
Well the platform that I pull off of is 3 inches and the plates are a lot smaller than the ones we have at college so I’ll call it an even 4. It’s hard as hell for me, my weakness is right at the floor.
Demolish #5 from Tuesday 06/09/09
Back Pain: 4/10
Soreness: 4/10
A. Floor Press: 135, 155, 175x5 and 185, 205x3
B. DB Press: 55, 65, 75, 80x5
C1. DB Fly: 4x8x15
C2. HS High Row: 3x8x2 plates
D. Paused Bench: 4x5x135
Hammer Curls
No PRs by far but it felt like a decent training session. Believe it or not this was my first time ever (ever) doing flyes in 3 years of training or so. Wasn’t a big fan of how they felt on my shoulders so I kept it light. Traps were also very sore from deadlift day so the rows were light.
Current plan is to use Paused Bench for 5/3/1, fuck whatever weight I’m using. While I’m here I might as well work on something I’m weak on.
Squat from Thursday 06/11/09
Back Pain: 1/10
Soreness: 2/10
A. Low Bar: 165, 190x5 and 215x12
B. Complex (RDL, BoR, Hang Power Clean, Front Squat, Push Press, Back Squat, Pushup) 6 reps
Bar, 85, 95
C. KtE and Front Lever Practice
Form is pretty rusty from not doing these for 6 months or so but it will be worked on. These were still at a reasonably narrow stance so I’m going to move it out a little week to week and keep on working on the shoulder/thoracic flexibility.
Complex was brutal but I just don’t have the shoulder flexibility right now to do the behind the back presses while in a state of fatigue that’s necessary for it. I’m going to abbreviate it a little bit, will be able to go a little heavier while still sucking air.
Plan for the rest of the wave is going to be a complex on Deadlift day and Squat is going to have more traditional assistance work followed by Airdyne fun.
Military from Friday 06/12/09
Back Pain: 2/10
Soreness: 4/10
A1. Military: 90, 105x5 and 120x6
A2. Wide Grip Pullup: 10x5xBW
B1. Close Grip Incline: 135x5 (top), 115x12
B2. Seated Row: 150x8 (top)
Curlz
I always get crippling soreness in my adductors from back squatting, had some today but not the worst I’ve ever had. Shoulders were also a little beat up from the complex so I took the overhead light today.
Close Grip Incline was actually a lot more comfortable than medium or wide and not a terrible amount weaker, I’ll definitely be sticking with it.
That back squat looked pretty easy, are you going to be wearing a belt?
Call me crazy but I’m not that big a fan of belts in general, have used them a couple times and just felt that they weren’t worth the hassle. I agree with Stuart McGill on most of his points regarding the subject. Over the next couple years when I start moving weights that are actually heavy that opinion is entirely subject to change though.
Damn I hate low bar. I’m going to be using High Bar immediately afterward for assistance and resist the urge to use them as my main exercise for now.
Deadlift from Monday, 06/15/09
A. Deficit DL: 250, 285x3 and 320x8
B1. Sumo DL: 3x6x225
B2. DB Step Up: 3x6x25
B3. Hammer Chin: 3x6xBW
Complex (omit for today)
C. Shovel Lift: 2x5x+25
DL went pretty good, no back issues at all. Assistance work was done back to back with no rest, it hurt. My conditioning just sucks right now, it took me ages to stop sucking air and I was in now shape to go through complexes (at least for now).
After I managed to recover I tried out the Shovel Lift that Joe Hashey wrote about a while back (synergy-athletics.com/?p=1263) - incredible exercise overall. 25 on one side of the bar was very humbling and brutal.
Demolish #6 (last one) from Tuesday, 06/16/09
Back Pain: 3/10
Soreness: 5/10 (traps and hammies mainly)
A. Floor Press: 95x15, 115x12, 135x15
B. Flat DB: 50x12,x10 , 45x10
C1. DB Flye: 15x12, 20x12, 25x12
C2. HS High Row: 2x8 then skip from trap soreness
D. Paused Bench: 95x12, 115x12
BB & Hammer Curl
Man these bodybuilder workouts are humiliating in terms of the weight that I can use, has been interesting messing around with them though. Triceps were tanked from the floor presses which affected the DBs but were mostly recovered for paused bench. Will be going into my own programming from now on based around Paused Bench 5/3/1 and Military 5/3/1.
Squat from Thursday, 06/18/09
Back Pain: 4/10 (during low bar)
Soreness: 2/10
A. Low Bar: 180, 205x3 and 230x10
B1. High Bar: 3x6x205
B2. Crossover Lunge: 3x8xBW
B3. BB Row: 3x6x135
C. Suitcase DL: work up to 95
Conditioning:
Airdyne (10 min of 20s work/40s rest)
Again not the hardest set I’ve done by any means but the low bar was really messing with my SI area. I’ll finish up the wave and decide what to do with the lift then, very close to going back to high bar as my main lift.
Rest of the giant set was not as bad as Monday but still pretty intense which limits the amount of weight I can use until my conditioning catches up, eager to see how these work out for me.
Since I haven’t really detailed it before, I figure it’s about time to outline my conditioning.
Sunday: Nothing!
Monday: Barbell Complex (after Deadlift)
Tuesday: Moderate Run or Long Cycling
Wednesday: Treadmill Walk (60 min 5.0 incline/3.5 mph)
Thursday: Airdyne (10+ min of 20s work/40s rest)
Friday: Moderate Run or Long Cycling
Saturday: Long run
As you can tell it’s quite a bit. The bottom is that my conditioning sucks and as a soldier I can’t tolerate that. I’ve spent enough time pussyfooting around without making progress so I want to make a determined effort to change that. As much as I’d like to go to Powerlifter Heaven with bands and chains and chalk forever, I have other priorities in my training too.
Military from Friday, 06/20/09 (was camping, little slow on the updates)
Back Pain: 3/10 (reduced but still present)
Soreness: 6/10
A. Military: 100, 110x3 and 125x6
B1. Wide Grip Pullup: 48 total reps (8x6)
B2. Close Grip Incline: 95, 115, 135x5, 145x5, 115x12
C1. Face Pull: 4 sets
C2. DB Pullover: 50x8 top
BB Curl
Military was focused on timing and pushing my head through at the right time. Incline is going to be done in a power rack from now on since I don’t have a spotter.
Deadlift from Monday, 06/22/09
Back Pain: 4/10 (during DL)
Soreness: 1/10
A. Deficit DL: 265x5, 300x3, 335x6
B1. Sumo: 3x7x225
B2. DB Step-Up: 3x7x25
B3. T-Bar: 3x7x2 plates
Complex
(bar)
C. Shovel Lift: 2x5x45
This was good but not easy, I just equaled my best conventional pull but this time with a 4 inch deficit. With a possible meet coming up I think it’s time to switch back to regular deads and keep breaking PRs.
Assistance is getting better but still completely out of breath after 3 giant sets. I managed to coax myself into just going through the complex with the bar and I think the 400m treadmill run at the end is going to work really well. With the Shovel Lift I reduced my leverage a lot by placing one hand on the end of the collar and the other just outside it- made for about 50 lbs of difference.
Bench from Tuesday 06/23/09
Back Pain: 3/10
Soreness: 3/10
A. Bench: 225 miss (ye), Paused 155 x 8
B1. Decline: 5 x 8 x 135
B2. Hammer Chin: +25, +35, +45, +50x3
C1. CGBP: 135 x 8, 6, 6
C2. Inverted Row: 3x10
(had a bunch of prehab planned but unfortunately that fell victim to time)
Wow, I feel embarassed posting these numbers but it keeps me accountable to the log and motivates me to improve, but goddamn I haven’t missed 225 in over 6 months. Not getting a liftoff really sucks with the huge J-hooks, thicker bars, narrower grip, blah blah blah. In the end it’s all comes down to my bench being weaker due a bunch of causes. Gotta work through it.
It’ll come back man. Everyone has one of those days/periods. Getting through it is what counts.
Squat from Thursday 06/25/09
Back Pain: 1/10
Soreness: 3/10
A. Low Bar: 190x5, 215x3, 245x10
B1. High Bar: 3x7x205
B2. Crossover Lunge: 3x10xBW
B3. BB Row: 145x8
C. Suitcase DL: 2x5x95
Airdyne
Low Bar felt good- my previous PR was 11 reps which I could have easily passed. Feels like my groove is getting better each time.
High Bar will get switched out for Front Squats next wave. Suitcase DLs still hurt, a lot. Airdyne is also much improved from when I started.
Good stuff.