Seasons lifting in the Abyss - Panzerfaust vs 2013

Training Training Logs
221

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
What’s up guys? Thanks for the well-wishes. I’m done with the staph infection and have been eating like a maniac to try and gain the lost weight back.

Since I cannot squat I have decided to run the Smolov Bench program - in theory this should tie in well with the timeline for my leg rehab work.

This is the program I will use:

My best tested 1RM is 112.5kg, but I have become stronger since then. For this program I am working off a realistic max of 115kg and really hoping to hit 120kg after Smolov’s three weeks of benching four days per week.

I’m using a medium-wide grip (pinkies an inch inside the outer rings) and short-pausing all reps unless otherwise noted.

13-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 1 - Day 1

Bench Press 70%
6 x 6 x 80kg

Dumbbell Row
3 x 12 x 25kg

Tricep Extension
3 x 15 x 20kg

Bicep Curl
3 x 12 x 20kg

Chins
30 Total

Notes

-First day back lifting after a 2 week layoff. Body felt weak and pathetic and I sweated like a rapist.

-Benching wasn’t too bad really. I hope my strength picks up fast or I am in for some fun times during week 2!

-The triceps extensions reminded me how weak my triceps are.

-Fucking great to be doing some form of lifting again, at last.[/quote]

Good to see you back demolishing some weights :slight_smile:

Looked like a good training session.

Good luck with Smolov.

222

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
What’s up guys? Thanks for the well-wishes. I’m done with the staph infection and have been eating like a maniac to try and gain the lost weight back.

Since I cannot squat I have decided to run the Smolov Bench program - in theory this should tie in well with the timeline for my leg rehab work.

This is the program I will use:

My best tested 1RM is 112.5kg, but I have become stronger since then. For this program I am working off a realistic max of 115kg and really hoping to hit 120kg after Smolov’s three weeks of benching four days per week.

I’m using a medium-wide grip (pinkies an inch inside the outer rings) and short-pausing all reps unless otherwise noted.

13-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 1 - Day 1

Bench Press 70%
6 x 6 x 80kg

Dumbbell Row
3 x 12 x 25kg

Tricep Extension
3 x 15 x 20kg

Bicep Curl
3 x 12 x 20kg

Chins
30 Total

Notes

-First day back lifting after a 2 week layoff. Body felt weak and pathetic and I sweated like a rapist.

-Benching wasn’t too bad really. I hope my strength picks up fast or I am in for some fun times during week 2!

-The triceps extensions reminded me how weak my triceps are.

-Fucking great to be doing some form of lifting again, at last.[/quote]

Good to see you back demolishing some weights :slight_smile:

Looked like a good training session.

Good luck with Smolov.
[/quote]

Thanks bro! How are you feeling about your training year so far? Making progress?

223

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:

[quote]florelius wrote:

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
What’s up guys? Thanks for the well-wishes. I’m done with the staph infection and have been eating like a maniac to try and gain the lost weight back.

Since I cannot squat I have decided to run the Smolov Bench program - in theory this should tie in well with the timeline for my leg rehab work.

This is the program I will use:

My best tested 1RM is 112.5kg, but I have become stronger since then. For this program I am working off a realistic max of 115kg and really hoping to hit 120kg after Smolov’s three weeks of benching four days per week.

I’m using a medium-wide grip (pinkies an inch inside the outer rings) and short-pausing all reps unless otherwise noted.

13-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 1 - Day 1

Bench Press 70%
6 x 6 x 80kg

Dumbbell Row
3 x 12 x 25kg

Tricep Extension
3 x 15 x 20kg

Bicep Curl
3 x 12 x 20kg

Chins
30 Total

Notes

-First day back lifting after a 2 week layoff. Body felt weak and pathetic and I sweated like a rapist.

-Benching wasn’t too bad really. I hope my strength picks up fast or I am in for some fun times during week 2!

-The triceps extensions reminded me how weak my triceps are.

-Fucking great to be doing some form of lifting again, at last.[/quote]

Good to see you back demolishing some weights :slight_smile:

Looked like a good training session.

Good luck with Smolov.
[/quote]

Thanks bro! How are you feeling about your training year so far? Making progress? [/quote]

My training year so far have been a clusterfuck, mostly because I had Training ADHD in the start of the year. If I had just done the basic two times a week template from January to now, I would be in cycle 5 or 6 now. I kick myself for that sometimes. On the + side I have gained some muscle and my squat seem to be improving. So in conclusion the training year have been both crap and good so far.

224

15-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 1 - Day 2

Bench Press 75%
7 x 5 x 87.5kg

Band Face Pull
3 x 12 x purple band

Chins
30 Total

Notes

-Haha, this bench volume is hard work. Felt like quitting after the 4th set, but managed to chew through the rest of them.

-Glad I am doing this while I am out of my other lifts… Smolov Bench plus heavy deads and squats would be SHIT.

225

Panzer, I fear for your soul. Since Smolov Jr. is going to rip it out then eat it if week one is rough. Good luck anyway! Pause as many reps as you can on week 1, pause some on day 1 of week 2/ day four (easiest days for me at least), and week 3 just try to get what needs to be done with solid form no matter what.

226

[quote]DSSG wrote:
Panzer, I fear for your soul. Since Smolov Jr. is going to rip it out then eat it if week one is rough. Good luck anyway! Pause as many reps as you can on week 1, pause some on day 1 of week 2/ day four (easiest days for me at least), and week 3 just try to get what needs to be done with solid form no matter what.[/quote]

Haha thanks man. Week one isn’t too bad, and I haven’t been grinding out any reps.
It’s just mentally hard to push myself through the sets as I have been out of the rack for a couple of weeks, plus still getting my strength back after sickness.
I’m eating a lot and sleeping 8+ a night so I should be feeling better next week in theory!

I’m pausing every single rep this week. I can always go with a 2.5kg increase instead of 5kg next week if I simply can’t handle the weight.

227

Had my second physiotherapy session today and there was a mix of news:

-I’m ok to continue with deadlifting and good mornings etc.

-Not even close to being able to resume squats.

All good, on we go with Smolov bench :).

228

17-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 1 - Day 3

Bench Press 80%
8 x 4 x 92.5kg

Chins
30 Total

Notes

-Mentally pretty hard again, but I paused every rep and didn’t have any real grinders.

229

21-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 1 - Day 4

Bench Press 85%
10 x 3 x 97.5kg

Chins
30 Total

Notes

-I pinched a nerve in my rear delt area last week, so I decided to run it M/W/F/M.

-Coming in to this workout I’d had a total of 9 hours sleep over the previous 3 days due to partying and a female, so I was fairly dead through it haha.

-Got all my reps, paused most of them, and on the VERY last rep I tweaked something in my back while struggling to lock it out haha.

-Good times, pretty hard but I feel like I am making somewhat productive use of my non-squatting time.

230

shhhiiiiiiiit my bad. i should have checked in on this again some time ago. of course listen to the pros but i also think were in a similar boat. my knee issues haven't cleared up 100% but would say im 80% now. a ton better than 4 weeks ago. knee problems started july 2012 so its been awhile. tried rice treatment, fish oil, and nsaids with little success. ran a search and stumbled on an excellent thread by “pb andy”. much recommended. ill try to throw up alink or provide thread name soon. general rule is lay off quad work 6-8 weeks. stretch often especially quads/hips. there is also some body weight stuff to use. sorry for shitty grammer/spelling etc…using xbox to type this shit out. very important to let pain in the knee go away before squatting again or else ignore it and be likeme…unable to squat for many months.

231

search “chronic tibial tuberosity pain”. stretch hips/quads often.

232

22-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 2 - Day 1

Bench Press 70% + 5kg
6 x 6 x 85kg

Dumbbell Row
4 x 10 x 20kg

Tricep Extension
2 x 15 x 20kg

Bicep Curl
2 x 15 x 20kg

Notes

-I hadn’t slept well and didn’t think I’d be able to handle this, was going to just do a 2.5kg increase. But it turned out to go really well. I had a few “hard” reps but nothing near failure.

-Pretty pleased with one aspect of this routine: it seems to be forcing me to activate my lats more when I press.

-Not getting any DOMS, which seems kind of strange.

-Next workout has me feeling a tad nervous.

-OT, enjoyed a marathon of the MTV series Caged.

233

[quote]mikemike87 wrote:
shhhiiiiiiiit my bad. i should have checked in on this again some time ago. of course listen to the pros but i also think were in a similar boat. my knee issues haven't cleared up 100% but would say im 80% now. a ton better than 4 weeks ago. knee problems started july 2012 so its been awhile. tried rice treatment, fish oil, and nsaids with little success. ran a search and stumbled on an excellent thread by “pb andy”. much recommended. ill try to throw up alink or provide thread name soon. general rule is lay off quad work 6-8 weeks. stretch often especially quads/hips. there is also some body weight stuff to use. sorry for shitty grammer/spelling etc…using xbox to type this shit out. very important to let pain in the knee go away before squatting again or else ignore it and be likeme…unable to squat for many months.
[/quote]

Hey bro thanks for the suggestions and I read that thread just now - some good stuff in there. I did some research and a self-evaluation and it seems I have quite bad APT.
This doesn’t surprise me, as I have always been quad dominant and have a very strong (read: tight) lower back. My abs and glutes and hams are relatively weak, which has probably lead to this.
So, I will continue to avoid leg lifts and foam roll / stretch the shit out of my quads and erectors. One they feel loosened up and my knee is less fucked up I will start strengthening the hell out of my rectus abdominis, hams and glutes.
In the mean time, at least I can bench :slight_smile:

234

25-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 2 - Day 2

Bench Press 75% + 5kg
7 x 5 x 92.5kg

Band Face Pull
5 x 15 x purple band

Notes

-Once again I went into the training feeling like it’d crush me, but it didn’t go badly at all.

-I find the first couple of sets quite hard, the middle 2-3 easy and the final 1 horrible.

-Didn’t pause many reps but I got nice solid presses out.

-Feeling some development in the chest and tris.

-Eating clean, but large amounts.

235

Hey panzer, good to hear your cleared to deadlift and such at least! Smolov bench looks awesome i should try it.

236

[quote]zenontheterrible wrote:
Hey panzer, good to hear your cleared to deadlift and such at least! Smolov bench looks awesome i should try it. [/quote]

Haha yeah, though I may just keep this Smolov Bench shit deadlift and squat free anyway. Kind of enjoying focusing on the one lift and it’s only another 2 weeks. I will see though!

You should definitely try it! Good fun so far man :). Though I would suggest doing it with a very clear recovery schedule, or using a modest 1RM. If you do, tell me so I can follow :slight_smile:

237

27-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 2 - Day 3

Bench Press 80% + 5kg
8 x 4 x 97.5kg

Chins
30 Total

Internal and External Rotations
2 x 20 Internal with Purple Band
2 x 20 External with Purple Band

Notes

-This was probably the easiest day of the program to date, which seems strange.

-All yesterday I had pain in my left anterior deltoid, but I narrowed my grip slightly and really focused on using my lats, and didn’t experience any pain during the bench sets.

-I did some extra chins and the internal and external rotations to try and help my shoulders.

-Didn’t particularly pause any reps, but I am not worried about pausing this week.

-Could have done another 2-4 sets if necessary! Bench endurance is good now.

-Shirts have tightened across my back and shoulders.

-Bring on the 10 x 3!!

238

Fucking loving this program. I really hope it pulls me near my bench goal. Goal for 2013 is 125kg. My “estimated max” based on reps has been hovering around 120kg for a while now, so maybe this Smolov routine will act as a kind of peaking cycle for it.
Also it’s great to notice chest size increases, considering I totally lack chest musculature haha.

239

[quote]panzerfaust wrote:
Also it’s great to notice chest size increases, considering I totally lack chest musculature haha.[/quote]
I know that feel… I think my tiny chest has been growing somewhat from finally widening my grip out/touching a DB. (lol even though all of the DB pressing I’ve done is mostly triceps)

240

29-05-13
Smolov Bench
Week 2 - Day 4

Bench Press 85% + 5kg
8 x 3 x 102.5kg (every set a rep PR)
1 x 2 x 102.5kg
1 x 1 x 100kg

Chins
30 Total

Notes

-Well it was all going quite nicely until my right shoulder (the one that hasn’t been hurting!) decided to die on me around set 5. I tried to get through the rest of the sets but on the 9th I failed the final rep. Just lost tightness on my left side and then fell to pieces.

-Repped one at 100, intending to do the final set at that weight but with my shoulder pain it wasn’t really worth risking the injury, so I called it quits.

-Not at all unhappy with today’s training to be honest! Considering every set was a rep PR hahaha.

-Bring on hell aka week 3.