first post from a long time lurker. been messing around in the gym forever, but took up PLing in Feb 09. i compete at 165 (age 33), with a PR total of 990 back in June (297, 303, 390). current best lifts are 335/300/430. thought i’d finally join in and start a training log.
i don’t follow any of the popular training programs - i mostly just lift for fun and to keep from falling apart as i get older. i concentrate on the big 3, with very little other assistance work. i just try to make steady progress, but i might try westside or smolov in the future. thanks in advance for any advice.
here’s what i did today…
Deadlifts
135x5
135x5
225x5
225x3
225x1
315x1
315x1
405x1
430x1 new PR, but i nearly blacked out & definitely saw stars after i put the bar down.
315x2 usually get 8-10 here, but the prev set really took everything i had in me today.
bench day. left shoulder has been hurting for almost a year now. not a terrible pain, but a high volume of reps doesn’t agree with me right now…
all decline bench:
135x5
135x5
225x5 always feels heavy
225x3
225x1 (all singles are pause, press, hold at lock out)
275x1
295x1
315x1 surprisingly easy today
225x10
neutral grip pull ups (all from full hang to clavicle at bar)
BWx5
BWx5
BWx3
BWx1
BW+45x3
BW+45x1
BW+90x1
BW+115x1
BW+135x1 can never quite get this one…
chest supported rows
90x5
90x3
90x1
135x1
180x1
ran out of time today.
shoulder never seems to get worse, but hasn’t felt good in a long time.
All PL squats this morning. It ain’t legal if it ain’t below parallel.
135x5
135x5
225x5
225x3
225x1
275x1 raw
315x1 raw
340x1 raw, another PR. Have been rolling lately.
355x1 w/wraps. Needed a tap from my spotter coming out of the hole.
275x6 raw, had to muscle up the last one
225x6 bar slipped down a little low, and I was out of time anyway.
I haven’t missed a raw squat or DL in about 2 months now. Everything seems to be working like a charm right now. Probably means that I’m not really maxing out, but I’m fine with it.
I really believe in positive reinforcement, and making my lifts makes me much more confident.
dimmel deads
135x10 (full reps DLs)
135x10 (full reps)
225x5 (full reps)
225x20 pretty easy
255x20
275x20 last 5 were not very quick - turned into a grind to finish the set.
not feeling very good all day. sore throat, probably getting a cold (hope it’s not the flu). will take tomorrow off from working out. Curls aren’t my favorite anyway.
Are you performing your Dimmel Deadlifts for speed and lockout? Sumo or Conventional? Do you go down to below your knee or to the knee? Why did you choose the Dimmel over the Romanian?
I am considering doing a few sets of these (or maybe Partials) at @ 135 (61 kg) for 10-15 reps once a week to focus on my hip drive and to strengthen my lockout.
doing dimmels to the knees, for speed & lockout…although that doesn’t really seem to be a problem for me. i primarily pull sumo, and the hardest part of the lift is breaking the bar off the ground. i do the dimmels conventional though, and always after warming up using conventional DLs.
i just don’t fancy the RDL. i really wrenched my back doing an RDL a few months back, and never went back to doing them.
give em a shot. i’m interested to see how it goes!
one thing that has been very effective for me is pulling from the knees. i can get well over 500 from that level, and it gave me a lot of confidence when approaching the bar on max attempts from the floor.
warm up DLs (conventional, full reps)
135x5
135x5
225x5
225x3
225x1
315x1
315x1
rack pulls, from just below the knees (conventional stance)
315x3
405x3
495x0 - miss, this was a stretch. most i’ve done this way is 455
rack pulls, from just below the knees (sumo stance)
315x3
405x1
495x1 (easy rep)
525x0 - got this off the pins, but could not lock out.
probably could have hitched up that 525, but that’s not going to get white lights for me anyway. i got 515 no problem 2 weeks ago. i guess the jump was a little too much for me today.
bench day used to be my favorite, but my shoulder’s been a little dinged for about a year now. i’ve decided that i’ll deal with the injury when it forces me too.
flat bench, all done competition style
135x5
135x5
185x5
185x3
185x1
225x3
225x1
275x1 really easy today
300x1 tough. had to struggle through about 6" off the chest, but it would have been white lights.
225x10
135x10
the rep at 300 was really hard. still, it’s 5 lbs more than 2 weeks ago.
wednesday. squat day. my lower back was a little tight from rack pulls 2 days prior, but i had to lift for max anyway. a card carrying pro body builder had invited me to lift with him…we ended up just missing each other timewise, but i was pumped just from the invite.
PL squats (low bar, in the hole)
135x5
135x5
225x5
225x3
225x1
280x1
320x1 belted; very easy. this is my new opener.
345x1 belted; missed badly & had to dump the bar.
340x1 belted; easy.
275x3
275x3
225x6
135x10
the miss at 345 was a mental error. i was so focused on the weight and i didn’t get my abs set properly. dumb, dumb, dumb. i will get that weight in two weeks.
shoulder press (in the smith machine, it’s all there is at my gym)
105x10
155x5
155x3
195x5
195x3
195x1
245x2
270x1
3 super sets
shoulder press 155x8
side raise 30x8
alt hammer db curls (weight is per each db)
40x8
50x5
60x5
70x5 (no rest)
50x5 (no rest)
30x8 (no rest)
25x5 (no rest)
close grip bench press (hands about 15" apart)
135x10
135x10
185x5
225x5 (no rest)
185x5 (no rest)
135x5 (no rest)
95x5
OH db extensions
50x5
60x5
70x5
it’s been years since i did any tricep work. that + my bum shoulder have my bench stalled at ~300. i hope this helps.
from what i’ve seen, a 300 bench for the 165 raw class is pretty decent. one or two guys can do way more, but most lifters in my class only get 225-250 for this lift. still, a good bench won’t win any full meets. i am really trying to concentrate on the other two lifts…
Deadlifts
135x5
135x5 (hybrid sumo)
225x5
225x3 (hybrid sumo)
225x1
315x1 (hybrid sumo)
315x1
405x1 (everything from here on was belted)
435x1 NEW PR.
405x1 miss - couldn;t get it off the ground
315x5
275x9 wanted 10, but had a little tightness in the hip flexors
225x13 wanted 15, but my form was breaking down a little bit
experimenting with bringing my feet in a few inches ala ed coan. not compfortable that way yet, but i’m going to keep at it.
the 435 was not exactly easy, but smooth and steady all the way to lock out. consensus from the guys that were around was that i have at least another 5 lbs in the tank. decided to call it at one PR today and end the max portion of the workout with a win.
three months ago, i thought that i’d never be able to pull 400, and now i’m nearing 450 with no signs of the gains slowing down. it’s like a festivis miracle.
[quote]anthonycyee wrote:
shoulder press (in the smith machine, it’s all there is at my gym)
105x10
155x5
155x3
195x5
195x3
195x1
245x2
270x1
3 super sets
shoulder press 155x8
side raise 30x8
alt hammer db curls (weight is per each db)
40x8
50x5
60x5
70x5 (no rest)
50x5 (no rest)
30x8 (no rest)
25x5 (no rest)
close grip bench press (hands about 15" apart)
135x10
135x10
185x5
225x5 (no rest)
185x5 (no rest)
135x5 (no rest)
95x5
OH db extensions
50x5
60x5
70x5
it’s been years since i did any tricep work. that + my bum shoulder have my bench stalled at ~300. i hope this helps.
from what i’ve seen, a 300 bench for the 165 raw class is pretty decent. one or two guys can do way more, but most lifters in my class only get 225-250 for this lift. still, a good bench won’t win any full meets. i am really trying to concentrate on the other two lifts…[/quote]
I noticed you’re not doing any shrugs or face pulls. These, scapular wall slides and stretching work wonders on my shoulders, keeping them healthy and pain free. Good luck
zerchers from below parallel
95x5 (just to see what i’m in for)
135x5
135x5
185x5
205x3
225x1 pretty hard
225x1
225x1
245xMiss
135x10x3
wow. this is a tough movement. my lower back was fried…arms too. sweating like a stuck pig by the end of my short workout. i think my back can handle more than i can hold up. 245 just seemed to rip my forearms down and i couldn’t hold the bar.
I performed them from the floor in a dead-start format as I had no rack… boy, they were tough on the arms. Picking it up and simply balancing it on your thighs with long legs is tricky and takes a lot of you. I didn’t go above 255; I finally just switched to front squats. The pain vs. gain ratio wasn’t much in my favor with these.
Regarding the hold, due to my very long arms I too had the same problem. The solution for me was bringing my hands literally together which brought my forearms and elbows closer into my body. I also needed to make sure that the bar was set deeper into the crooks of my elbows squeezing it hard against the lower biceps thus making sure that the forearms were far from parallel as possible.
I was instructed that if a trainee feels it in the forearms then he/she failed to set deep enough and/or were not squeezing the bar hard enough. Also, the bar squeezing is supposed to assist in tighening your core for the movement. So, you are supposed to feel it more in the lower bicep and in the crook. I hope this helps.
Never attempted the deadlift version; I know I would defintely make a mess out of it.
thanks for the tip. i’ll give the deeper elbow set a try next week. 255 seems like a lot. that must have been a tough workout. my biceps just weren’t strong enough to hold 245.
deadlifts today…used hooks for everything, since my hand is brokado…
Sumo DLs
135x5
135x5
225x5
225x3
225x1
315x1
this was a very light DL workout. capable of going much heavier, but my paw wouldn’t allow it. no pain in my hand, but my wrist felt like it got sprained in the process. must have overcompensated for the broken hand.
Sumo Zercher DLs (from pins, about standard sumo DL depth)
135x5
135x5
135x3
135x1
225x1
245x1
265x1
275x1 (belted)
had more in me, but decided to call it quits. props to my man ricochet - the tip about a deep elbow set worked like a charm. wed i’ll go for heavier singles…