Novaeer's Training Log

Training Training Logs
141

3/23/09

Squat day (or just another day for Modi)

Free squat

bar x 8
105 x 6
145 x 5
195 x 3
255 x 5 (no belt)
285 x 3 (NB)
315 x 3 (B)
345 x 3 (B)
285 x 5 (NB)

Good mornings
145 x 3 x 12

Barbell step-ups
145 x 3 x 12

Purple band TKEs
4x20

Blast-strap fallouts
3x8 (weak as shit)

Notes: First week of the Marc Bartley squat routine, but this will be my first time doing it raw (excuse me, RAW :p). I’ve developed a stupid habit of looking down after the first rep and it screws me up royally. None of the reps were hard at all, which is good since my goal at the end of this 3-week run is 405 for a triple. No other way of putting it - I suck at blast strap fallouts, they just completely wreck my ab.

142

3/25/09

Bench night

Reverse band bench press (purple)

135 x 8
185 x 6
225 x 5
265 x 3
285 x 5
325 x 3
365 x 3 (rep PR)

Floor press w/ chains (2 pair)
185x5
225 x 2 x 5

Blast strap pushups (1 drop set)
BW+2 chains x 14;1 chain x 6.75;BW x 5

Blast strap rear delt flyes
3x12

Blast-strap lat shrugs
BW+2 chains x 3 x 15

Notes: Bench felt solid today; I’m pretty sure that I had another rep left in the tank on 365, but I decided to bag it as my right foot slipped a bit on the third rep. Nonetheless, it counted as a rep PR so I’ll take it. The blast-strap shrugs were cool, basically a Kelso shrug, and they created a big burn in the mid-back and traps. I also bought the Kelso shrug book today as I’m looking for a way to change up the upper back training.

143

3/27/09

Deadlift

6" Box pull w/ 3 pairs of chains

135 x 5
+added chains x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 3
355 x 2
395 x 3 x 2

Wide-grip shrugs
135 x 15
185 x 15
225 x 15
275 x 35

Blue band ab pulldowns
4x12

Green band side bands
4x20

Notes: Pulls felt easy and had no lockout issues to speak of for once. Bump it up next week and hit a few heavier singles or doubles, possibly add another pair of chains. The wide-grip shrugs hammered the traps, especially around the mid-back.

144

3/30/09

Squat

Free squat

bar x 10
145 x 5
195 x 3
235 x 3
285 x 5 (NB)
315 x 3 (NB)
345 x 3 (B)
375 x 3 (B)
315 x 5 (NB)

Walkouts
465 x 2 x 5 seconds

Barbell step-ups
145 x 3 x 12

Notes: First three work sets flew up nice and easy; the top set of 375x3 the reps moved a bit slower. I wore my really really old and worn out knee wraps for the set with 375, just to start getting used to them again. They actually threw me off a little, but I’ll get the hang of 'em. I did a couple of walkouts so I could get the feel of heavier weights on my shoulders. Didn’t feel too bad at all.

145

4/1/09

RE Bench/Assistance

Flat bench w/ 2 pairs of chains (all reps paused)

bar + chains x 8
95 x 6
135 x 6
185 x 2 x 5
205 x 5

3-board bench press
275 x 2 x 5

Serratus press
135 x 3 x 12
-went light to just to get used to it again

Lat pulldowns
3x15

supersetted with

Lat pulldown shrug
3x10

Triceps pushdowns
3x15

Notes: Took it easy today and just did some light benching with chains and some upper back work. Decided to try a couple of things I picked out of the Kelso shrug book and I think I like the lat pulldown shrug best out of the lot - it had my upper traps on fire. Good session.

146

4/3/09

Deadlift & assistance

6" box pulls w/ 6 chains

135 x 5

  • chains x 5
    185 x 3
    225 x 3
    275 x 3
    315 x 3
    365 x 1
    405 x 1
    435 x 2 x 1
    455 x 2 x 1 (PR)
    -have to check by how much

Wide grip shrugs
135 x 15
225 x 15
275 x 15
315 x 28

Green band ab pulldowns (pause at bottom)
4x20

Notes: I worked up to 435 for a couple of singles and they felt fairly easy so I bumped it up another and went for two more singles. The last one was a little slow to get moving, but lockout was nice and forceful. I’m feeling pretty good about my pull right now. My grip was shot by the time I had to do shrugs and even with the straps those 28 reps @ 315 chewed my hands to pieces.

147

You’ve been doing a sweet job so far!

148

4/6/09

Squat - Wk #3 of Marc Bartley program

Free squat

bar x 8
145 x 5
195 x 3
235 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 5 (NB)
345 x 3 (NB)
375 x 3 (B)
405 x 3 (B) (rep PR)
345 x 4 (NB)
-supposed to be 5, but I was worn out :o

Walkouts
505 x 2 x 5 seconds

Green band TKEs
4x20

Notes: This will likely be the toughest week of the training cycle. I bought a new pair of knee wraps (2.5 m APT Hybrids) and decided to start breaking them in today - these things are diesel. I had Bill wrap them pretty loose for the set with 375 and still felt like they gave a decent amount of stop and pop. I had him crank them down a little harder on the 405 set and I really noticed their stopping power.

None of the reps were very tough, and in all honesty I probably could’ve popped off another couple of reps. I stopped at 4 on what was supposed to be a set of 5 because my hips were just fried. The walkouts felt good and the weight didn’t feel heavy on my shoulders at all.

149

4/8/09

Yo how much ya bench night

Bench press

bar x 8
95 x 6
135 x 5
185 x 5
210 x 5
240 x 5
270 x 5

-paused all reps

3-board bench press
315x3x5

Blue band lat pulldowns
3x15
superset w/
Lat shrugs
3x12

Straight-bar pushdowns
4x15

Notes: Bench felt strong today and all the reps came up nice and fast. Normally I’d push that last set for as many as reps as possible (probably about 8 or 9), but since this is the last 3 weeks of meet prep I’m going to skip out on the rep maxes and just focus on making my opener a piece of cake. Today was a good first step. BTW, my SSB Yoke bar showed up today on my doorstep - I love getting new toys.

150

4/13/09

KOME Squat deload

SSB Yoke bar box squats (parallel box)

bar x 10 (bar = 70 pounds)
120 x 8
160 x 5
210 x 3
250 x 3
300 x 3
330 x 3

SSB good mornings
160 x 3 x 12

Bulgarian split squats
3x12

Green band ab pulldowns
4x20

Notes: Got to use my new toy tonight. Damn, that thing tosses you forward like crazy. Last set with 330 wasn’t an all-out triple, but given that this is a deload week I figured I’d keep the intensity down. Good mornings are tough as shit with this bar as well; one plate feels almost like two plates. I think after the meet I’ll use this bar a lot more and see what it does for my squat and deadlift.

151

4/16/09

Just Benchin’

Bench press (all reps paused)

bar x 10
95 x 8
135 x 6
185 x 5
225 x 3
260 x 3
285 x 3

3-board bench press
330 x 2 x 5

Reverse grip pushdowns
3x12

Notes: Another pretty good bench night. All the reps were nice and fast, no sticking point to speak of and I probably had another 3 or 4 reps left in the tank. Three-board bench was solid although I the fifth rep on each set was a little slow. One more heavy bench night next week, possibly working up to my opener then taper off the rest of the way.

152

4/17/09

ME Deadlift

Reverse band deadlift (blue bands)

185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 3
365 x 3
405 x 2
455 x 1
485 x 1
515 x 1
540 x 1
560 x 1 (5-lb PR)

Snatch-grip shrugs
135 x 15
225 x 15
315 x 36 (rep PR)

Green band side bends
4x20

Notes: I haven’t used the blue bands for pulls in over a year so I figured it was time to use these for the last heavy pulling session of the cycle. Hit that top part of the lift I suck so badly and yet move through a full ROM. I did jot down a note on my PR spreadsheet that my old PR lift was a slow grind. The attempt with 540 was pretty quick so I knew I had a shot at a PR of some sort. I might have had more in the tank, but I went for a 5-lb PR and I think it was a good choice. It was not a grinder, but it wasn’t exactly a speed pull either. Cut it there and moved on to wide-grip shrugs.

Hit a pretty good rep PR w/ 315 - assuming Bill can count correctly :wink: Good training session and I’m feeling optimistic about my progress heading into the final few weeks.

153

4/20/09

Squat

Free squat

bar x 8
145 x 5
195 x 3
235 x 2
285 x 1
325 x 1
375 x 1
415 x 1
-likely opener, maybe 425

Walkout
595 x 5 seconds

Lying leg raises
4x15

Notes: Winding down the training cycle, so I’m trying to make sure that the openers come easy. I’ll probably stick with the progression 415(25)-455-480 at the meet. I didn’t get a video of 415, but it felt easy and Bill said it looked fast as well. The walkout actually didn’t feel too horrible, but I was ready to put it back in the rack after 5 seconds.

154

4/22/09

Bench opener

Bench press (duh)

bar x 10
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 1

3-board bench press (pinky on ring)
355 x 2 x 3

Notes: Worked up to my opener this week and it just flew up nice and easy. The plan at the meet is something like 315-340-355, assuming all goes as hoped. Reps on the 3-board were solid. A little over two weeks to go.

155

4/24/09

Deadlift/assistance

Conventional DL

135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 1
365 x 1
405 x 1
455 x 1
500 x 0,1

Barbell shrugs
225 x 3 x 20

Green band ab pulldowns
3x20

Notes: Felt a little off on first time with 500; I stopped at about mid-shin and just reset. Waited about 30 seconds and did it again. Harder than it should’ve been, but not a big deal. No more pulling until the meet. Time to taper down and just take it easy.

156

4/27/09

Squat (deload time)

bar x 10
145 x 5
195 x 3
235 x 3
285 x 1
335 x 2 x 1

-one set w/ Chucks, other w/ IW IIs

Blue band good mornings
3x20

Leg raise/crunch combo
3x12

Notes: I wanted to try out squatting in the Chucks just to get a comparison with the Adidas Ironworks. I like the Adidas better because they made hitting depth a lot easier. Both singles with 335 felt like speed work, which is certainly a good sign. Nice and quick session, and feeling anxious for the meet to get here already.

157

4/29/09

Bench deload

Bench press

bar x 10
135 x 6
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1

Green band pushdowns
3x15

Notes: That’s it. Short and sweet today. On the single with 275, I simulated the judge commands (press and rack) just to re-orient myself with them. It was only 275, but it was probably the lightest 275 ever felt. Bodyweight is holding steady right around 220 so I don’t think I will have to starve myself at all before weighing in next Friday, although I do plan to have a gluttonous meal after stepping on the scale.

158

5/4/09

Deload/keeping fresh day

Free squat

bar x 10
145 x 6
195 x 3
235 x 2 x 3

Bench press

bar x 10
95 x 6
135 x 5
175 x 2 x 3

Notes: That’s it for training until the meet. I did a light DL session on Friday, worked up to a single with 405 and shut 'er down. Today, I just wanted to do a couple of sets w/ ~ 55% of what my planned openers are. Short and sweet session, now I have to just keep my weight where it is (right @ 220). I’m feeling good headed into this meet and it’s probably the first meet prep cycle I’ve ever had without some nagging injury. Fingers crossed.

159

Meet Report

5/9/09

APA Delaware Power Classic

220 Raw Open Amateur Class

Squat
1st attempt: 425 good (3 whites)
2nd attempt: 455 good (3 whites); 10 lb raw PR
3rd attempt: 480 good (3 whites); 35 lb PR

Bench
1st attempt: 315 good (3 whites)
2nd attempt: 340 shitty (3 reds)
no 3rd attempt (see below)

Deadlift
1st attempt: 500 good (3 whites)
2nd attempt: 535 no good (3 reds)
3rd attempt: 535 good (3 whites); 35-lb raw PR

total: 1330 (6 of 8)/ 1st place in class (only 1 other lifter FWIW)

Summary: Well, kind of an uneven performance today. Started off strong on the squats. The first two attempts with 425 and 455 were pretty easy. Third attempt with 480 was tougher, but I think I left a little weight on the platform. I think 500 is definitely workable within the next few months.

Bench turned out to be a mess. The bench that we had for warm-ups was too low and too narrow so I ended up with cramps in my mid-back by the last warm-up set. The pauses were kinda long, too, but that’s less of an issue for me since I suck more at the top (on most days). First attempt was a little slower than it should have been and after I racked it my back really started to scream.

I decided to stick with the plan and jump to 340 for a 5-lb raw PR. It was total shit. When I got the press call - after what seemed a minute - the bar might have moved two inches then my back just seized up and I couldn’t get any more oomph on the bar. I decided against going for 340 again to keep from totally trashing my back and wasting my/the spotters/loaders time.

There were two bench flights, but only 1 DL flight so we had very little warmup time and with my back feeling the way it was I was nervous. As the warmups went along it started to loosen up. Opener came up easy. I don’t think I approached the bar right on the 2nd attempt as the bar came off the ground cock-eyed and then got out in front of me. It stopped moving at knee level so I just ended it there.

I tried 535 again and got it pretty smoothly, like I thought I would on the first go-round. I figure I might have been good for the original 555 I was going to shoot for.

Overall, it was a great meet - a pretty fast one at that ended at 3 pm - and there were some big lifts. Scott Yard totaled 1,980 raw and some other big hombre hit a 630 raw bench that looked like an opener.

160

5/13/09

Recovery work

Superset
A1) KB swings 3 x 15
A2) KB lunges 3 x 10

KB bottoms-up press 2x15

Superset
A1) Lying triceps extensions 2x12
A2) EZ-bar curls 2x12

Notes: I haven’t done anything at all since the meet and I was feeling like doing a little something. I didn’t want to squat/bench/dead just yet and probably not until Saturday at the earliest. Today’s session was over and done with in 20 minutes or so and I actually got a little pump in my quads from the lunges. Good to get back in the gym.

Sidebar on training: I’ve been looking over my training from the past several months and it looks like I’ve been all over the map. 5/3/1, 5x5, Westside-esque template, you name it and it seems like I did it, but in almost a haphazard, ad hoc basis. It’s a wonder I made progress.

I did some web-surfing/research (at home of course since that would be an abuse of company resources ) and I came across Mike Tuscherer’s Reactive Training System and I find a lot of the principles behind it appealing. It’s a bit more cerebral in that it requires more planning and thought put into it, but that’s OK. Rather than a percentage-based system, it relies more on rates of perceived exertion (RPE) so you don’t have to break out the calculator before each set. I’ll give more detail once I settle into the ‘program’.