Spidey: Eudaimonia

Training Training Logs
361

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
So took 3 days off, thinking it would help me feel a bit better. However today still kind of felt shitty, so I just did a little less volume, will probably do so for the week

Front Squats: Upper back just keeps rounding
245x2x1
235x2
225x3

Breathing Front Squats:
205x2x5 breaths

Snatch Grip RDL:
225x2x7

4 sets of delts total

Not really sure if I’m just a bit mentally drained, lower cals are starting to take effect, or I genuinely pushed the intensity/volume up a bit too fast, I’m just not feeling too awesome. Not tight or anything, I actually feel mobility is rocking. I just feel disconnected from the bar if that makes sense, like I just can’t get everything firing.

My upper back is also just weak as fuck. I’m doing rows, chins, face pulls, pull aparts, rear delt flies, and DL variations pretty much daily, but maintaining position for Squats is just still a weakness, and it’s frustrating to be getting the ‘bracing’ down but still having something else screw up lol.

Still thinking of just doing the Russian program for squats, the Mat Pulls ROM progression for DL, and then maybe Cube Predator for Bench. I know that seems like a lot of shit to throw together, but idk if I’ll be able to keep hitting PR’s every session at this point, so maybe having some progression model could help. I may just look at those programs, get a ‘gist’ or what’s going on, and then kind of do a simplistic version.

Idk I’m kind of everywhere right now, but all the stress is paying off. Got a scholarship offer from my top choice of law school. It’s not a full-ride or anything, but still cool, and now another school said they may be willing to better the offer if it’ll influence my decision. So while training seems to have dipped a tad, other stuff’s going ok.[/quote]

dude I feel your pain with school. All my science courses are kicking my ass . I have no time for anything but homework, work , and studying. Hopefully over the summer I can get on this site more often. Love seeing the progress. Keep it up!

362

Upper Day

Flat Bench: Pretty decent, not fast but smooth IMO
225x1 (paused)
205x5x3

Incline Bench: Super easy
135x5x6

Fat Grip Chins:
BWx3x8

BB Rows:
135x3x12

Arms 4 sets of 20-30 each

Good workout, don’t feel run down or anything.

So my two law schools, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville both have presented me great offers. UK is in the city my GF resides, and a few friends (like HeavyTriple <3), and a better ranked school, though they are giving me a bit less money. U of L has offered me significantly more money, they’ve been EXTREMELY awesome in regards to making me feel ‘at home’, is close to my family and most my friends, though they are not ranked quite as well. I really need to decide by the end of the week, and it’s a stressing me out. lol

363

[quote]mattd534 wrote:

dude I feel your pain with school. All my science courses are kicking my ass . I have no time for anything but homework, work , and studying. Hopefully over the summer I can get on this site more often. Love seeing the progress. Keep it up!
[/quote]

Thanks buddy, keep killing it in school, it’s worth it my man.

364

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
So my two law schools, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville both have presented me great offers. UK is in the city my GF resides, and a few friends (like HeavyTriple <3), and a better ranked school, though they are giving me a bit less money. U of L has offered me significantly more money, they’ve been EXTREMELY awesome in regards to making me feel ‘at home’, is close to my family and most my friends, though they are not ranked quite as well. I really need to decide by the end of the week, and it’s a stressing me out. lol[/quote]
So, my take on this…

I think you’d be better served, long term, going to the higher ranked school. It sucks they’re paying you less, but that should open up more opportunities down the road, both in terms of pay and in terms of choice/direction of work.

Also, from a networking standpoint, this just forces you to meet new people and get used to a new environment in a “professional” context, not just socially, which will only serve you well in the future.

FWIW, most of my opinion is based on my own college experience, and my girlfriend’s med school experience. She went to a good regional-ish med school for her specialty (pediatrics), and then one of the top pediatric residency programs in the country. At this point, she can move anywhere in the country and everyone knows the reputation of those programs.

Which is why we moved to Pacific Northwest from the Midwest, she only works 4 days a week, 8-ish hours a day, is rarely on call, and makes nearly twice as much as I do. (Granted, I was able to move across the country, and keep my job working from a home office and occasional coffee shop, so it’s not exactly horrible on my end.)

Anyway, my take on all of that.

365

^ I agree. Go with what will better prepare you for the future. That’s the reason why you’re going to school in the first place.

366

I appreciate the input fellas, I didn’t really expect much. lol

Concerning the school selection, there’s some other factors I should let ya’ll know. First, the ‘location’ of the 2 schools is only about a 75 min drive either way, so networking and feeling ‘uncomfortable’ or whatever isn’t too big of a deal.

U of L also has a large advantage in that I have a job here, that’s already said they’d allow me to work during law school, as much or little as needed, and it pays well ($18 an hour + full vision/dental/medical insurance all for 30 bucks a month), so moving to UK would also kind of take that off the table.

The scholarship offers also differ a bit. The UL just is standard ‘stay in good academic standing’. The UK one, I found out today, has a conference I have to attend, it’s 12 days, and actually coincides with a wedding I’m in. I’m a groomsman, and it’s two of my best friends since childhood getting married, so it’s a big deal. UK said there’s really no way I would be able to do both, and I’d have to turn down the scholarship if so. Therefore, it’d be pretty unlikely I’d miss that wedding for anything, even that much money.

I’m just not sure how much difference the ranking matters. Job prospects still seem to be pretty much ‘in-state’, and I’m just not sure if UK’s ranking will grant me enough opportunities to cancel out UL basically paying 1/3rd of my tuition.

I understand the advice given could be the same, but wanted to give full explanation.

367

Did some Mat Pulls and T3 Lower Body work

Mat Pulls: I wore a belt today, as I feel doing EVERYTHING beltless was catching up to me a bit, especially with these which are supramaximal most the time. Tried to control the eccentric a bit. Not counting that last rest-pause rep lmao
(5) 455x8 + 1 ugly hitch

High bar Piston Squats: idk what to call these, just pretty much the middle ROM of Squats, after the mat pullls the kill my quads and glutes. 90 seconds rest
135x3x15

Elevated Lunges: Just stepped up on 5 mats
15’sx3x10

Then some leg curls, hollow holds, and some delt stuff. Then cardio

Nice workout today, haven’t done more iso work like that in awhile for legs. Thought the piston squats could kind of recreate a leg press, and because it’s only 135, it’s a way to keep Squatting frequency high without hurting recovery. Good news is that I must be learning to use my glutes better with Squats, because them and my hips and quads were still sore from Monday, which isn’t always the case. May hinder Mat Pull performance a bit, but overall it’s a good thing.

368

My $0.02 on school - it’s really top tier (think first 10) and then everyone else. Unless name dropping the program vaults you to the front of the pack - “I went to Yale!”, you have to win in your job interview anyway. So now what’s your differentiator at school? Grades and preparation. I would choose wherever you’ll be most successful. A quick Google search puts UK around #55 and UL at #93. While that seems like a big gap, it’s really not light years. Good luck and congrats either way.

369

[quote]TrainForPain wrote:
My $0.02 on school - it’s really top tier (think first 10) and then everyone else. Unless name dropping the program vaults you to the front of the pack - “I went to Yale!”, you have to win in your job interview anyway. So now what’s your differentiator at school? Grades and preparation. I would choose wherever you’ll be most successful. A quick Google search puts UK around #55 and UL at #93. While that seems like a big gap, it’s really not light years. Good luck and congrats either way. [/quote]

Yeah, that’s an opinion I’ve gotten as well. I’ve gotten the it’s t-14, ranked, and then ‘unranked’, so as long as it’s in the top 100 or so it won’t make a difference. Then I have others who say the difference in ranking could mean a LOT in job prospects. I still have a week or so to decide. I appreciate the input.

370

Kind of just did a light upper workout. Superset a chest and back lift for 3 different exercises each, and then did some pec flies, band extensions, and curls.

I tried Wide Grip Floor Presses, but elevating my torso a bit, 2" or so. I think it could end up being a good variation to really hit the chest while staying away from the risks of wide grip flat benching.

Just pretty much using this middle upper day to get some blood flow, get a pump, and get some volume to my weak chest, triceps, and back.

371

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
Yeah, that’s an opinion I’ve gotten as well. I’ve gotten the it’s t-14, ranked, and then ‘unranked’, so as long as it’s in the top 100 or so it won’t make a difference. Then I have others who say the difference in ranking could mean a LOT in job prospects. I still have a week or so to decide. I appreciate the input. [/quote]

Yeah I agree that once it’s in the top 100 it doesn’t matter too much. Nowadays it seems that experience is what sets candidates apart, at least for engineering. From my experience, employers typically want a well rounded candidate that is a go getter. A student with a 3.4+ GPA having an internship and student project/research on their resume would probably be more likely to get a job than a student that only has a 3.8+ GPA. The interview is important too but your resume has to make the final cut to even get to that point.

372

just my two cents worth. I would not worry too much about the law school rankings (this would only matter if your choice were between a top ten or twenty school and a much lower ranked school). I would focus on going to the school where you plan to live after school, if you know. You are much more likely to get a good job (or know more people if you go solo) if you are in your own back yard. Based on your assessment below sounds like U of L. I graduated from University of Texas at Austin a long time ago. If I can be of help let me know and I wish you the best.

So my two law schools, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville both have presented me great offers. UK is in the city my GF resides, and a few friends (like HeavyTriple <3), and a better ranked school, though they are giving me a bit less money. U of L has offered me significantly more money, they’ve been EXTREMELY awesome in regards to making me feel ‘at home’, is close to my family and most my friends, though they are not ranked quite as well. I really need to decide by the end of the week, and it’s a stressing me out. lol[/quote]

373

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
So I’m a big fan of Cody Lefever. He Youtubes and posts under ‘GZCL’ and has a method that is really more so just a frame work to help yourself program. He calls training a pyramid, and pretty much he breaks up lifts into ‘tiers’. You can google his stuff, but really the blueprint I’m using is:

  1. T1: Main Movement, 85-100% of Goal Weight, 10-15 total reps, this is a single exercise.

  2. T2: Primary Assistance, 65-85% of Goal Weight, 20-30 total reps. One to two different exercises.

  3. T3: Secondary Assistance, 65% or less of Goal Weight, 30+ total reps. One to three different exercises

So I’m picking 4 movements: Hybrid Back Squat, Front Squat, Flat Bench, Incline Bench

So my workouts will be:

Monday: T1 Squats, T2 Front Squats
Tuesday: T1 Bench, T2 Incline Bench
Wednesday: Mat Pulls, Lower T3/Hypertrophy
Thursday: Upper T3/Hypertrophy
Friday: T1 Front Squats, T2 Squats
Saturday: T1 Incline, T2 Bench

There will be a little Tier 3 work at the end of every workout, for delts, upper back, arms, or something. Wednesday and Thursday will be some lighter variations, pauses, High Bar, wide grip or close grip bench, probably always 10+ reps. It’s not that different then the program I’m already on, I’m just putting some structure to it. I was also thinking of going High Incline Press as opposed to just Incline Press, Idk yet though. [/quote]

Not much to add on the law school subject, lol, but I really the total reps style of training. Seems like its much easier to quantify progress that way. Fits perfectly with “powerbuilding” style training.

374

Damn guys, I appreciate all the input. UK asked me to look into their scholarship stuff with them, and see if they could compete with U of L. If so, same money + higher rank will be my go to. But as of now, U of L seems to be the place for me, so I really appreciate all the input. Seriously, eases my mind

Hit a quick lower session today. Was rushed so no video

Front Squats: Beltless
245x1
225x5x3

Paused Squats: Beltless
205x4x7

SLDL’s: Slight deficit
185x2x12

Laterals

That’s all I had time for lol. My form was off, I could tell. Quads were still reallyyyyy sore, so they weren’t tracking well. I think by next week I’ll be fine though and adapted to the DOMS. Still got the work in, but keeping my chest up for Front Squats is soooo fucking hard. I feel tight, but it’s sucking lol

375

[quote]kollak95 wrote:

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
So I’m a big fan of Cody Lefever. He Youtubes and posts under ‘GZCL’ and has a method that is really more so just a frame work to help yourself program. He calls training a pyramid, and pretty much he breaks up lifts into ‘tiers’. You can google his stuff, but really the blueprint I’m using is:

  1. T1: Main Movement, 85-100% of Goal Weight, 10-15 total reps, this is a single exercise.

  2. T2: Primary Assistance, 65-85% of Goal Weight, 20-30 total reps. One to two different exercises.

  3. T3: Secondary Assistance, 65% or less of Goal Weight, 30+ total reps. One to three different exercises

So I’m picking 4 movements: Hybrid Back Squat, Front Squat, Flat Bench, Incline Bench

So my workouts will be:

Monday: T1 Squats, T2 Front Squats
Tuesday: T1 Bench, T2 Incline Bench
Wednesday: Mat Pulls, Lower T3/Hypertrophy
Thursday: Upper T3/Hypertrophy
Friday: T1 Front Squats, T2 Squats
Saturday: T1 Incline, T2 Bench

There will be a little Tier 3 work at the end of every workout, for delts, upper back, arms, or something. Wednesday and Thursday will be some lighter variations, pauses, High Bar, wide grip or close grip bench, probably always 10+ reps. It’s not that different then the program I’m already on, I’m just putting some structure to it. I was also thinking of going High Incline Press as opposed to just Incline Press, Idk yet though. [/quote]

Not much to add on the law school subject, lol, but I really the total reps style of training. Seems like its much easier to quantify progress that way. Fits perfectly with “powerbuilding” style training.[/quote]

Exactly. It also gives me some wiggle room, because sadly with my home gym set-up I don’t have a ton of ‘variation’, so boredom sets in fast for me. So at least having a lot of ‘freedom’ with reps and sets can keep me excited to train, while still havign a framework to go off of.

376

Good workout today

Incline Bench: Really easy
185x1
170x5x3

Paused Flat Bench: Long pauses, grazing the chest but not resting or sinking the bar on it
160x4x6

Fat Grip Chins: Just ramped up from BW, adding 10 lbs each time
+30x5
+40x4
+50x3
+60x1

DB Rows: No straps or anything
75’sx2x35

Then arm stuff, then cardio

I have adjustable DB’s, but I have a few pre-set ones, 75’s being the heaviest. And I’m lazy, so I’m just going to do a ton of sets with 75 lbs DBs until it’s like 50+ reps easy.

377

Yo

Squats: Felt alright. Knees come in a bit, but I’m just trying not to fold over. Still not perfect, but it’s much improved IMO. Filmed last set
295x1
275x4x3

Front Squats: Stopped trying to point elbows ‘in’. It seems like its a solid cue for some, but it rounds my upper back for some reason, so i just forgot about elbows, concentrated on making back ‘big’, and it was much better
185x5x6

Breathing Squats: Nothing too hard
185x2x10 Breaths

SG RDL’s:
215x3x10

Then a cool little shoulder girdle triset of rear delt flies, OH Shrugs, and band Upright rows.

Then some cardio.

Good workout. Squat is coming along. I think I do need to start leaning forward justttt a tad, because otherwise I ‘dip’ at the bottom, and while I want to stay upright as possible, my Squatting style isn’t going to really ever have a near vertical back when using max weight. Right now my squats result in lots of lat and abs soreness the next day, and during glutes, hips, and quads feel like they are really all firing ‘together’. So while my Squat isn’t beautiful, I think I’m at least getting to where it’s in the ballpark of ‘correct’ for me.

378

Hey dude, I really like checking out your log. Some good stuff in here. I think your squats are looking pretty solid!

Keep up the good work, man.

379

[quote]erik_carlson wrote:
Hey dude, I really like checking out your log. Some good stuff in here. I think your squats are looking pretty solid!

Keep up the good work, man.[/quote]

Thanks man, I appreciate the support. Feel free to comment whenever you want, always appreciate input.

380

Some bunchprussin

Flat Bench: Happy with how fast everything moved, paused first set
215x5x2

Incline Bench: All Paused
155x4x5

Fat Grip Chins:
BWx4x8

BB Rows:
155x3x12

Arm stuff

Easy solid workout. Thinking about buying a slingshot, and kind of giving the ‘overload’ thing a try. I think slingshot bench, block pulls, and high box/pin squats could be used every couple weeks to help me get volume under a ‘crushing’ weight now and again. Overall liking the GZCL rep scheme though, feel like I got work in but not beat up.