Round 3 Lifting

Training Logs
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Hi guys,

Everyone probably knows who I am, my story, etc. I’m gonna start logging here again, since I finally bounced back from my injury in a productive way. Currently, squats, OHP, and bench are my three primary lifts. Deadlifts still aggravate my back. At any rate, I’m finding new ways to move forward without getting hurt.

Notable Post-Injury Lifts for Self-Reference

BW: 195

Squat: 365 x 7

315 x 15

405 x 3 (whatever’s more impressive)

Press: 135 x 10 (yes, ew)

Bench: 225 x 4 (also ew, tweaked my back trying to get a fifth rep)

Deadlift: 365 x 10 (put me out of commission for a week)

False-Grip Pull-Ups: 15, head over bar

Still coming back from the depths of Hell with my upper-body lifts.

I’m losing weight because I don’t find enough time to eat and most of the time I’m not hungry, so I’m waiting to see where the weight loss journey takes me.

At the very least I’m back in the gym again and I’m finally surpassing old PRs, so I can’t complain about my progress. Got fat this summer, don’t feel fat anymore. That’s relieving in and of itself

Random physique update:

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After I get my wisdom tooth out on Nov. 10th I’m sticking with 5/3/1 and completely ignoring the “conditioning, jumps and throws” (sorry Pwn, I saw your Reddit post). For now, I’m trying to accumulate as much fatigue as I can so the actual week-long deload after surgery is necessary.

Tagging people who might care: @tlgains @T3hPwnisher @EmilyQ @mr.v3lv3t @strongmanbrett @strongmangoals @anna_5588 @flappinit @boilerman @flipcollar

Anyway I’ll try not to fall off the face of the Earth in 6 months but no promises

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@FlatsFarmer @Andrewgen_Receptors @duketheslaya (miss you btw)

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Glad to see you posting again dude. Despite what you may think, the physique is looking powerful. That’s an ass-kicking build for sure.

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Glad to see you’re back!!!

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Welcome back dude, you and your lifts are looking very strong! I’m looking forward to following along.

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Great to have you back dude. You’re looking dangerous. No need to apologize for picking a plan and moving forward. And 135x10 is a monster press.

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Chipped my old squat PR today

Squats

45 x 10
135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 3
315 x 2
365 x 8 (had another one, went for it and bailed because I was worried I’d injure myself straining that hard)

Also got this cool gym rat tattoo

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315 x 10 (stupid decision)
315 x 7 (even dumber move)

Moving onto hack squats

135 x 10
225 x 8
315 x 3 x 5
275 x 5 x 8

Kneeling Ab Wheel – 75 reps

I’ve never used the hack squat machine before today but I think it’s going to entirely replace my BB squat “back-off” sets for now. I thought it would be easy! It was not easy. It really sucked.

After my top set of squats, I feel good. After my first backoff, I feel slightly less good. After my second backoff set, I know I fucked up. I don’t plan to give up barbell squatting, but I will probably limit that movement to a singular AMRAP top set.

Are there any “exercises” i can do to mitigate pain, soreness, and general discomfort in my lower back following a heavy squat day? I feel so old.

Anyway, bench tomorrow. Not sure how much I weigh but I’m not eating very much so I’ll probably hop on the scale in a month and jump for joy when I see 185

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You look like a tank, man. Very solid.

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Yeah, shoulders especially look big.

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To take care of your back, you’re gonna need to learn how to use your Core muscles better. “Deep” muscles like your Transverse Abs and Serratus Anterior. In your videos you lose tension in your “front” and this causes you to overarch your back, putting a lot of strain back there.

So you need to learn to use these “anterior core” or “stability” muscles along with your abs and lats to lock your shoulders to your pelvis better.

Here’s your serratus
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Here are transverse abs
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Here’s a dude doing a plank to work these muscles. Look how he’s driving the elbows away from his back, into the ground. That brings his shoulder blades forward, around his ribs. Into “scapular protraction.” That allows everything to line up and lock in together. You can see his back isn’t over-arched.
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This dude is doing a Pike Pushup. You can see how the shoulder blades are pulled forward and all the different “core” muscles are lined up and tight.
image

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You can front rack kettlebells and use your serratus to pull your elbows forward, under the weights.
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Check out this shot of Punisher from the other day. Look at that great scapular protraction, allowing everything to work together to “lock in.”
image

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Pwn cameo!

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That’s gotta be a historic first where I’ve ever been used as a textbook example in a positive manner, haha.

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Heavy squatting dude!

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@FlatsFarmer Thank you for commenting with advice. I have been ab-wheeling my way to a bulletproof core, but I think I’ll have to hold sucky planks and maintain stability in that position.

My belt is also a notch too tight, but the new belt I just bought feels impossible to break in. It’s an exact replica of my old belt in a smaller size, but it pinches my skin while I’m squatting. I might throw it in a random hydraulic press to break it in easier.

@jshaving thank you!

@Andrewgen_Receptors My squat took off out of nowhere. I had to widen my stance a bit, and now I feel like I’m in an optimal position to really push my squat (especially since I’m not deadlifting at all).

Regular Log

Bench

45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 3
185 x 11
155 x 10
155 x 8
145 x 2 x 10
135 x 2 x 10
135 x 7

100 chin-ups

100 push-ups

Really just spamming upper body movements right now. Lots and lots of junk volume (wink wink). My deload is coming earlier than expected since I’m getting my tooth extracted tomorrow morning. Thank God I’m finally gonna get it over with.

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I have Covid and am feeling a little oversensitive and mushy, so take me with a grain of salt. Your post in the Kanye thread made me really proud. Your progress makes me even prouder, and I don’t mean in terms of lifts.

Good on you, R3. You’re getting stronger and stronger.

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Ab wheel is cool, but you want to stress that Shoulder blades moving forward, wrapping around your ribs action. There is just so much going on when you ab wheel that you can sag your body and forget about that part.

The plank is just one way to get that protraction and front of your body tension. Other guys do pushups. Or tons of burpees. When you push yourself up of the floor it’s like a moving plank that really stresses that protraction motion.

I’ve been doing Bear Crawls to get into a similar position. Stir the Pot and Mountain Climbers could work too.

Whatever you “feel” working and will actually do. When you get it working, you’ll feel those muscles pulling your elbows forward under the bar during squats. That way you won’t have to extend your back so far, so you can avoid tweaks. Same thing with the deadlift, those muscles along your ribs will pull your shoulders towards the front, letting you get closer to the bar, letting you keep your abs tight and extending your back less.

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@EmilyQ sorry to hear you have COVID!

Honestly, it’s sad to see Kanye where I was at, schizo-posting in random threads and generally expressing mental incompetence in public forums. I hope he gets the help he needs, but he’s too rich, influential, and surrounded by “yes-men” to get Baker Acted.

I appreciate you checking in! It’s always nice to speak with you, and I’m happy I’m on the other side of my struggles for the most part.

@FlatsFarmer I think I’ll have to throw in a “conditioning” day where I just do an absurd amount of mountain climbers and ab-related calisthenics in place of my DL day for 5/3/1.

Maybe I should invest in a pair of wrist wraps to achieve better positioning during my low-bar squat? I see people whose wrists are bent backwards underneath the bar, which I guess would activate the core muscles more thoroughly. Of course, I’m an idiot, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

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Lower body and ab stuff in place of deadlifts is totally do-able.

Just be careful about using the barbell to mash your arms into place! We’ve seen a lot of guys come through using that ultra low, wrist blasting bar position and causing pain and problems for themselves.

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That is EXACTLY what I want to avoid doing. Plus, that position is so uncomfortable there’s no way I could hold it for high-rep sets.

I’d say I squat somewhere in between low-bar and high-bar, but it works for me.

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