Nov 28- Week 8, Accessory Day
Chest Supported Row
Worked up to 4 plates x9,5,5
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
3x10 162
Barbell Shrugs
3x10 275
Front Plate Raises
1x20 25
1x20 35
1x10 45
EZ Bar Curls
1x10 70
1x10 90
1x2 110
Barbell 21’s
3x21 55
One hour.
Nov 30- Week 9, Day 1
Squat
1x3 195
1x3 230
2x3 270
3x2 290
Bench
1x3 145
1x3 170
2x3 200
3x2 215
Defranco Calf Raises
2x 1 minutes 2 Plates
40 minutes. This was the first workout of the peaking cycle, the volume was extremely low because Wednesday is a skills evaluation day where I do a 95% single on each lift, I have a feeling I will smoke the squat and bench weights, deadlift we will wait and see.
Squats were all beltless today and felt ridiculously solid, I think just doing the amount of reps I have throughout the program has helped me feel a lot more comfortable squatting and has improved my technique.
I’m sorry to hear that about your dog bro. I know how that feels. What was his/her name?
Everything looks solid in your training man what are you hoping to hit for your max attempts?
My dog’s name was Abby, she was a Finnish Spitz, look up pictures, they are beautiful dogs.
The actual test day wont be until after Christmas, the day after if I am in Omaha, it might get pushed back a day or two depending on family plans. I don’t have exact numbers I am shooting for, it is kind of hard to tell with this type of programming, I just know I will be pissed if my squat isn’t over 400 and my bench isn’t above 290, deadlift I will take what I can get.
After I finish this sheiko cycle, I plan on running a Coan-Phillipi deadlift cycle along with using a Westside for skinny bastards type of setup for the other 3 training days of the week. I always plan ahead what type of training I want to do when I finish what I am doing, and it always changes, so we will just see.
The 10 week Coan cycle would fit perfectly into leading me into a meet sanctioned by 100% RAW that I plan on signing up for as my first meet, it is in Omaha, on March 28th.
Dec 2- Week 9, Day 2 “Skills Evaluation”
Squat
1x3 195
1x3 230
2x2 270
add belt
1x2 315
1x1 345
1x1 365
Bench
1x3 145
1x3 170
2x2 200
1x2 230
1x1 255
1x1 275
Deadlift
1x3 215
1x2 255
2x2 300
1x2 340
1x1 385
1x0 405 (fail)
1x1 405
About 50 minutes. Well, today went pretty much as expected. I will break it down one lift at a time.
The 365 squat felt fantastic, I sunk it nice and deep and it flew up, when I hit the bottom of a heavier squat I usually think jump! and that helps me fire my legs as hard as I can, I feel like I will definitely be good for a 400 squat.
Bench was supposed to be 270, I put it up to 275 so that I could match the best weight I have ever actually lifted. It felt extremely tight and controlled, all the benching has allowed me to perfect my technique, I have just recently learned how to use my lats and it make a hyooge difference. I think I am good for somewhere right in the neighborhood of 300, I will be ecstatic if I can hit 300 or better at the end of all of this.
Deadlift also matched my previous best, and it fucking sucked. First attempt I got it to my knees, it got stuck, I gave up. Then I went for it again, it slowed way down at the knees but I got it legally locked out. I will chalk up this poor performance to two things. One, this was my first time pulling over 400 after squatting heavy the same hour. Two, I feel like my deadlift hasn’t responded well to all the higher volume with lower weights. 5/3/1 and sheiko (so far) both didn’t do much for my deadlift at all but my squat and bench have responded well. These poor results just reinforce my plans to run a CP deadlift cycle, I think the low reps and high percentages will be a good change of pace.
Dec 4- Week 9, Day 3
Squat
1x3 195
2x3 230
2x3 270
4x2 290
Bench
1x3 155
2x3 185
6x3 215
Fly
5x10
GM
5x5 135
Standingish Calf Raise Machine
5x10 4 plates
About 60 minutes. Did all the squats beltless again today, I want to make sure my core keeps up with the rest of my body, and I don’t do a lot of direct work, so some beltless squats felt good. For these final 3 weeks I have left I am going to up my training maxes for squat and bench, so I can get some really good work in to finish out Sheiko strong.
Nice job on the skills evaluation! Im with ya in chasin the 400 squat and 300 bench!
[quote]BlackLabel wrote:
Nice job on the skills evaluation! Im with ya in chasin the 400 squat and 300 bench![/quote]
I know, I am doing my best to get ahead of you! I want you to keep succeeding at getting stronger, I just want to get stronger faster than you. Is that bad?
Dec 5- Week 9, Accessory Day
DB Rows
1x10 60
1x10 80
1x10 95
1x11 140 PR +1 Rep
Semi Neutral Grip Chin Up
5x4 Bodyweight
Shrugs
1x10 225
1x10 285
2x20 285
Front Plate Raises
1x20 25
1x20 35
1x12 45
Fat Gripz Barbell Curl
1x10 45
1x10 65
1x9 85
1x6 95
Hammer Curls
3x10 40’s
Good workout. Since Monday I have been working on substantially improved my diet, before that I was often eating frozen pizza for lunch, McDonalds for dinner, just lots and lots of shit. My diet isn’t crazy great at this point either, it just isn’t the horrible shit hole it was before. I feel like I have already made improvements just having more energy and I think I have dropped some fat without having to do any real dieting. My belt fits a little looser. I don’t have any goals to get super lean, I just want to get down to a body fat level where my double chin isn’t big and my stomach doesn’t stick out way farther than my chest.
I weighed myself in just underwear for the first time in a while before yesterdays workout, I weighed 252. This was in the afternoon when I was hydrated and had eaten a couple meals already, so I think my morning weight is somewhere below 250. I would like to compete in the 242’s at the meet on March 28th without having to do anything drastic, I really don’t think this is going to be a problem, because like I said, my diet was fucking awful, and I think just eating mostly clean foods will cause some decent fat loss.
Dec 7- Week 10, Day 1
Squat
1x3 205
2x3 245
2x3 285
4x2 325
Bench
1x3 150
1x3 180
2x3 210
5x3 240
Fly
5x10
Squat
1x3 225
2x3 265
4x3 305
About 70 minutes. I upped the bench and squat training maxes to 300 and 405 respectively, squats still felt really good, tough, but good. Bench was kind of hard, but I think that was mostly due to soreness I still had from my accessory day. I am rounding the corner to the home stretch.
[quote]VikingsAD28 wrote:
[quote]BlackLabel wrote:
I just want to get stronger faster than you. Is that bad?[/quote]
Hell no.
I am not happy, all classes were canceled today due to pretty heavy snowfall that started early Tuesday morning. Since classes were canceled, guess what else was closed, all school offices and facilities! meaning no gym for me.
Thursdays I cannot train due to school and work so I think I am just going to have to cross off Wednesday’s deadlift session and get back to it with squats on Friday. This is the first planned training session that I have had to completely miss since… I don’t even know. I just keep telling myself one session where I was snowed in isn’t going to be the death of me and my progress, it just is very upsetting.
[quote]VikingsAD28 wrote:
I am not happy, all classes were canceled today due to pretty heavy snowfall that started early Tuesday morning. Since classes were canceled, guess what else was closed, all school offices and facilities! meaning no gym for me.
Thursdays I cannot train due to school and work so I think I am just going to have to cross off Wednesday’s deadlift session and get back to it with squats on Friday. This is the first planned training session that I have had to completely miss since… I don’t even know. I just keep telling myself one session where I was snowed in isn’t going to be the death of me and my progress, it just is very upsetting.[/quote]
This really isn’t that big of a deal (I’d be freaking out too for the record). I would do some deadlifts on Friday so you at least don’t miss a week of deadlifting. Since you are squatting and deadlifting in the same day, it isn’t a good idea to do your regularly scheduled Wednesday deadlift training. My advice would be to work up to 3-5 sets of 3 at 70% after squatting.
Before my last meet I missed week 10 completely because I was out of town getting married. I hit PR’s on every lift, and felt strong the day of the meet; missing one session definitely won’t be a big deal. I love your dedication though.
Do some extra recovery work today if you have the chance.
[quote]mrodock wrote:
[quote]VikingsAD28 wrote:
I am not happy, all classes were canceled today due to pretty heavy snowfall that started early Tuesday morning. Since classes were canceled, guess what else was closed, all school offices and facilities! meaning no gym for me.
Thursdays I cannot train due to school and work so I think I am just going to have to cross off Wednesday’s deadlift session and get back to it with squats on Friday. This is the first planned training session that I have had to completely miss since… I don’t even know. I just keep telling myself one session where I was snowed in isn’t going to be the death of me and my progress, it just is very upsetting.[/quote]
This really isn’t that big of a deal (I’d be freaking out too for the record). I would do some deadlifts on Friday so you at least don’t miss a week of deadlifting. Since you are squatting and deadlifting in the same day, it isn’t a good idea to do your regularly scheduled Wednesday deadlift training. My advice would be to work up to 3-5 sets of 3 at 70% after squatting.
Before my last meet I missed week 10 completely because I was out of town getting married. I hit PR’s on every lift, and felt strong the day of the meet; missing one session definitely won’t be a big deal. I love your dedication though.
Do some extra recovery work today if you have the chance.[/quote]
I think I will take this advice and just do some light deadlifting on Friday, thank you very much.
December 11- Week 10, Day 3
Bench
1x3 150
1x3 180
2x3 210
5x3 240
Squat
1x3 205
2x3 245
2x3 285
6x3 325
Bench
1x4 150
1x4 180
4x4 210
Fly
5x10 40’s
Deadlift
Worked up to an easy triple with 315
Workout went fairly well, the squatting felt horrible as usual (in a good way). Deadlift I took it real easy, I was exhausted from the squats so I just did enough to remember what deadlifts feel like and was done. I wanted to do more, but I knew anything more than that would have been a bad idea. This was the last real work week before I start scaling back the volume for the test day, I am excited to fully deload before testing, because I haven’t done that since March.
December 12- Week 10, Accessory Day
Barbell Row
5x5 225
Semi Neutral Grip Chins
5x4
Dip Shrugs
3x20
Fat Gripz Hammer Curls
1x10 40’s
1x6 40’s- The fat gripz were killing the weight I could use for these so I ditched them after this set
2x10 45’s
EZ Bar Steep Side Preacher Curl
1x6 70
1x3 70 Didn’t Rest long enough
1x5 70
Front Plate Raises
1x20 25
1x20 35
Standing Calf Raises
2x 1 Minute 4 Plates
A lot of new different exercises here so I will start at the top.
Barbell Rows: I have never done them in the style I did them to day. I did the the way I have seen Meat post videos of him doing them, walking the bar out of a rack and then bending over and rowing it freely. Previously I had only done them off of the floor.
This style allows me to use more weight, and I think I will make this my main rowing movement for the coming months, as I have increased my strength substantially on DB rows and my deadlift has had nothing to show from them. I figure if I get to the point I am BB rowing a weight that would be a respectable deadlift, my deadlift will have to exceptional, time will tell.
Dip Shrugs: These are just shrugs on while holding myself up on dip bars. I did these over barbell shrugs today because I didn’t have any straps and my grip was too dead from the previous two movements to be able to hold on to 300 double overhand. They were alright, it was just the only shrug exercise I could think of where my grip wouldn’t limit me.
EZ Bar Preacher: Anyone who reads this log can probably tell I have become somewhat of a curl junkie as of late. I was never a big time biceps guy, but getting them bigger is just so much fun. I took the chair off of the seated preacher bench and did them from the other side, I really liked the way these felt and I will continue to use these in the future.
December 14- Week 11, Day 1
Squat
1x3 205
1x3 245
2x3 285
5x2 325
Bench
1x3 150
1x3 180
2x3 210
3x2 240
3x1 255
Fly
4x8 40’s
As you can see, the volume is coming down, which is not to say this workout was easy, squats still sucked, bench felt alright, but I wasn’t taking those 255 singles lightly.
December 16- Week 11, Day 2
Bench
1x3 150
1x3 180
2x3 210
5x2 240
Fly
4x8 40’s
Tuggin
1x3 215
2x3 255
2x3 300
5x2 320
45 Degree Back Raise
4x5
Holy shit! My deadlift form was horrible before today and I didn’t even realize it. Thank you efs for this article! http://elitefts.com/documents/strong_deadlifts.htm
Before today I was trying really hard to squat the weight up. I would line up with the bar over my center of gravity on my feet, but with my limb leverages, my shins were rolling the bar forward and getting it way out in front of me before the bar even broke the floor. As I saw on my skills test day, when it got to my knees the bar was so far out in front of me it was almost impossible for me to recover and I had to just fucking grind.
Throughout sheiko I have noticed my deadlift has been doing weird things, like weights close to 400 I had to really grind out, even though they should have been fairly moderate weights. I realized today (and was almost jumping up and down when I did) that my technique was just killing me and it wasn’t my strength that was the problem.
Toward the beginning of the program I switched my form to squat deeper before starting the lift, this was in response to a lower back injury I had suffered while deadlifting during 5/3/1. I thought this new form was better because I didn’t feel it at all in my lower back, which was good for my lower back health, but horrible for strong pulling.
So anyway, now that I have been ranting about what I was doing wrong, let me say some things about today. Today I focused on sitting back more while I was reaching down for the bar and I only brought my hips as low as what was necessary to grab the bar. I arched my lower back, and I did have my legs bent to start the lift but not the half squat position I was in before.
Although today was a light day by design, the weights felt waay better than they did with the old technique. Before today I was expecting to pull 405 again on my test day and not being able to go up any higher, now I am much more optimistic that this new technique will allow me to get my deadlift moving again!
Looks like a very productive day. When I use my old (crappy) deadlift technique even 135 feels odd/difficult to lock out.
Excellent article by the way, thanks!
Efs has been posting articles a lot more frequently lately on their site. Some of them don’t really matter to me, like running a business or increasing 40 time, but there are a lot of real gems in there. I make it a habit to check it often.