Post-Easter candy hangover actually helped in the gym today. I ate about a half a chocolate bunny yesterday - and it was not a little bunny.
Push Day
BB BP
1x10x45
1x5x135
1x5x235
1x4x255
1x1x275
1x1x285
1x1x300 - spotter assist / wanted to get this on the bar in prep for getting it within the next couple sessions. I’m pretty close.
1x1x275
1x5x225
Lots of little, odd moves - need to focus on better control I think. Also need to focus on my explosiveness from the bottom. I think depth looks okay, though the camera angle isn’t great. Any feedback always welcome.
Yep, all good now. Depth looks fine. Most of it looks decent too.
The biggest thing that stands out to me is your unrack, because it’s a split stance. This is usually inadvisable, because you’re not as stable as you could be and the unrack can make or break your squat mentally and physically.
Try this if you want:
Set your hands. Once set they do not move. This applies to everything when setting up for all lifts.
Get under the bar and centre yourself
Set your feet. I usually go with my squat stance, even if I’m walking it out.
Take your air and squeeze your elbows into your sides. For heavy squats squeeze the bar and don’t let go from here onwards.
Stand up and squeeze/push your glutes through
Let the bar settle
One foot back, second foot back. One sideways step per foot to get your width and foot angle if necessary. Exhale but stay locked in.
Let the bar settle
Take your air, squeeze your elbows into your sides and squeeze your glutes.
Down you go: push your knees out and drop your butt down
To come up push your traps into the bar and pull your elbows into your sides. Push your knees out.
You said you missed 505 twice last week and you’re going for it again this week? WHY? Don’t do that man. Attempting, and potentially failing, an absolute max 2 weeks in a row is counterproductive, period. I missed 585 last week, and I won’t be trying a max again for a month. Maxes aren’t how we build strength. Build your strength through reps, and try it again when you know you won’t miss.
When I see someone’s ‘hips shoot up’ on a squat, it tells me initial positioning is incorrect, and that you’re immediately losing tightness when you initiate the lift. It does not indicate to me that there is necessarily any particular strength issue, muscle imbalance, or any other such problem. You’ll be much better off if you can find the hip height where the bar breaks the ground, and start the pull from there, rather than trying to start lower and immediately getting out of position.
I used to make this mistake all the time. Just takes a little discipline to just back off and trust the process and guarantee your PR. What happens if you missed again this week? Try it again next week? Obviously that’s a bad cycle.
I did this back when I was trying to get my first 315 bench, years ago. I had done 305, and felt so close on 315, but it just wasn’t there. I think I literally tried it for 6 weeks straight. And I actually never got it. I ended up getting weaker, and did not hit it until like 2 years later. If I had spent that 6 weeks training in a way that actually made sense, of course I would have hit 315, and probably more.
“The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones.”
-Brandon Sanderson
Between getting my kids up and ready for school, and getting to an early meeting, I had to crank out a quick one in the gym today. Didn’t really track work - just tried to carry some heavy stuff around.
Ergometer row - 1,500 meters
Trap bar carries (took a quick video below)
95lbs ~ 25 yards x ~6
225lbs ~ 25 yards x ~6
315lbs ~ 25 yards x ~4
45lbs plates carries
~25 yards x ~4
Wide grip pull-ups 4x3
In an out in about 40 minutes
225 TB Carry:
I’ve never video’d these before and I’m sort of glad I did. I notice that I am not even at all. I had scoliosis as a kid, which resulted in many physical abnormalities with my body. I pretty much ignore them but they have caused a few weird things for me - lack of neck and shoulder mobility, my shoulders are not level nor are my hips. This video magnify’s this issue and I wonder if I should try to focus on walking more ‘unevenly’ to level myself horizontally. Not to concerned about it, but damn, I look weird in the video… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-ZTvp4CBgo
As I end the third week of logging, I’m realizing I’m coming to a cross road. Logging has been really good and has given me the chance to jot my thoughts down and track what I’m doing better in the gym. However, if you read this log up to this point, you’ll see me waffle back and forth on strength or weight loss. As I’m tapering my calories, I’m noticing my maximal strength doesn’t seem to be impacted yet, but my lifting endurance is really struggling. I’m am TOTALLY gassed at the end of my sessions and even towards the end of movement sets.
I think it’s time for me to double down on weight loss over the rest of this log. I’m also going to tweak my macros listed at the beginning of this log. I’m going to work on this this weekend - probably dialing down fat / upping carbs up a bit, and then taper carbs from there. Thanks @Mark for prompting me to consider a different approach.
I’ve thought about this the last couple nights. I WANT to be stronger, but I NEED to lost body fat. I’m easily 20% BF and morbidly obese by any calculation. My parents both died from diabetes related illness at relatively young ages. I need to do better.
Anywho, thanks for sticking with me!
Mesocyclone 1, week 3, day 4
Push day
BB BP
1x10x45
1x5x95
1x5x135
1x5x185
1x5x225
1x5x245
1x2x265
1x1x275
11x6x225 2
1x3x225
1x20x135
Below are today’s peri-workout macros consumed over about a 2-2:30 hour window. If anyone reading has concerns over these numbers, I’m always looking to tweak things. I start consuming these 30 minutes prior to lifting. My daily routine generally follow’s
-30-45 min Coffee / creatine / pre carbs and protein with a little fat
Intra - Protein / simple carbs
+30 - Protein / simple carbs
BB BP video from today (1x5x245). These don’t look good. I’m glad I have been video’ing so I can watch. My feet don’t set at all and I’m all crooked. Stuff to work on.
I think you’re making a smart choice. I’ve realised it’s easier to get stronger than it is to get leaner; and you’re always going to lose a bit of strength while getting leaner although you’ll get it all back. So it follows that it makes sense to get the hard part out of the way first, and also before you have that much more strength to lose (that second part doesn’t make quite as much sense but is where my head is at for me).
I think your pre and intra nutrition looks spot on. Better than mine if I train in the morning for sure.
Here’s the new macro look. This is from today… 2,630 cal. I’ll be dropping the carbs slowly from here. I’m going to slowly drop cals. No more than 50 per week, but may hold if weight still drops and adjust when plateau hits. This may turn into the 20 week log .
So I end the third, formal week of this log (not counting my vacation week). I feel good about where I am and have a new focus on weight loss. That being said, I figured today was the last day for an all out attack on a deadlift PR as strength increases will be deprioritized over the coming weeks. Despite advice and my better judgement, I went for attack mode this morning. Definitely want to thank @MarkKO and @flipcollar for advice. And I know Flip - you’re right, I should not have gone for it and I won’t do it again . But I did say fuck it and gave it a shot anyway. Honestly, it was one of those days were I just felt I had it in me, was well rested, and in the right frame of mind. I’ll stick to the plan from here!
Mesocycle 1, week 3, day five
Deadlift
1x10x135
1x5x225
1x5x315
1x3x405
1x1x455 - this came up nice and easy, so…
1x1x505 - Woot! Lifetime PR / nailed the lift. Worked on hip position and I think this made a big difference and also forced me to get the slack out of the bar. Came up pretty quick with no drift. Locked it out and held it for a good three seconds. It’s funny because I lift at my work’s gym and NO ONE uses the squat rack or does any sort of powerlifting. I got a few verbal ‘holy fuck’s’ and some looks like I’m a retard for lifting so much. Obviously this weight is nothing unusual at a lot of gyms or on @TNATION , but at a cardio factory you’d have thought I lifted the back-end of a pickup truck. Got a nice little souvenir from it pictured below.
Wide Grip L Pull-ups - 4 sets
5 / 5 / 4 / 4 / 3
DB Bicep Supersets Curls and Hammers - 15 / 30
3x12x15/30
.
. But I did say fuck it and gave it a shot anyway. Honestly, it was one of those days were I just felt I had it in me, was well rested, and in the right frame of mind. I’ll stick to the plan from here!
