“5) All fluff needs to be eliminated while continuing to grow strength and size.”
3 weeks into my new program and I’ve done this and I can already tell a difference.
You gonna do a meet or a mock meet soon? Seriously you are VERY close to needing a new log name.
[quote]chobbs wrote:
“5) All fluff needs to be eliminated while continuing to grow strength and size.”
3 weeks into my new program and I’ve done this and I can already tell a difference. [/quote]
Was it for better or worse?
I am starting to think like Dan Green for various reasons.
I am learning a ton about this sport and my own personal experience is saying that less may be more.
Maybe having arm day isn’t so important for big arms.
Maybe doing the big lifts is more important than assistance.
Maybe I need to strike the perfect balance of weight and volume and up the frequency a tiny bit.
Maybe form work needs to be done to alleviate stress on the wrong areas of my body.
[quote]csulli wrote:
You gonna do a meet or a mock meet soon? Seriously you are VERY close to needing a new log name.[/quote]
I am not sure how a real meet works. I have to look all that stuff up haha. I want to do it even down to the timing of the lifts.
Maybe I should order some ammonia caps?
Better by far
Believe it or not, my legs have been sore for 2 days. Quads, and some glute/ham soreness. The glute and ham soreness might be from deadlifting though.
Tonight’s workout. (3/9/14)
Limber 11, wall sits, apley’s scratch with band, regular apley’s scratch, shoulder dislocations with band, band pull aparts at shoulder width on band for 3x10.
Back was feeling much better after. No real problems with doing this work.
Training session from earlier. (3/20/14)
Limber 11 minus the rolling, the glute LAX ball work, and the piriformis stretching.
Drove to the gym.
YTWL
External rotations with 10 lbs plate x 10 reps
Apley’s scratch with mini band.
Shoulder dislocations with mini band.
10 mini band pull aparts.
Bench Press
10x45
20x45 (Felt off balance. I realized that I had a bent bar.)
5x135 (Swapped out bar. Better but still bent.)
5x185 (Felt a bit heavy for some reason.)
5x205 (These felt light and awesome. My shoulders felt great at this point. I called a PR here.)
10x235 (Paused. Easy as heck. No fail. I could have done more, but my ego was in check tonight.)
5x205 (Harder than earlier, but still easy.)
5x185 (No problems.)
Kroc Row
115 lb dumbbell for sets of 10/10/10/10/10/5
(Took my time here because of my back. Very minor discomfort in the right when I did the left arm. Last set were focus on form and contraction more so than the others.)
Incline Press
5x135
5x185 (Wide grip. Hard.)
5x185 (Bench press grip. Paused. Still hard, but felt better.)
5x205 (My butt left the bench on the last rep. Somewhat paused.)
5x185 (Changed foot position to fix my butt leaving the bench. Easy.)
5x185 (Killed this set.)
I am pretty sure that the top set for bench was a PR. I was pumped about how easy that felt. I mean the whole workout was smooth sailing and I felt like a champ the whole time. Much more satisfying than my last workout.
I have honestly never done incline barbell bench press. That is why I had to monkey around with my form and setup. I will basically do 5x5, hitting heavier sets when I feel like it. I will just say that I will do 5 sets of 5 above a certain weight based on how I feel that day. It could be more, or it could be the minimum.
I kind of suck at incline bench. I can only think that getting stronger with it is going to make me stronger in general. It also felt easier on my shoulders as well. Hopefully I did enough weight/volume to get better for next week. My bench is moving like mad right now compared to what it usually does. I finally settled here with my normal bench grip and my feet on the floor rather than on the foot supports the bench had.
Now I have taken the normal triumvirate workout and rotated between dumbbell bench press, incline dumbbell bench press, and incline bench press.
Am I trending toward westside principles?
I asked for more chucks for christmas?
I recently started a band collection and doing pull-aparts?
My squat stance is getting wider over time?
I have caught myself talking about bar “speed” and Prilepin’s chart a lot lately?
I have a picture of a reverse hyper stashed under my mattress? (Just kidding about this one…but seriously…)
Oh God, what is happening to me?
If I can manage to hit 1200 at 198 or 220 by the end of the year, that will put me at #36 all time in the SPF juniors division. I don’t know if I will be able to string together a good amount of training to do a meet though.
Not bad for lifting a bit over 2 years eh?
Yes I just bragged a bit. I hate doing that, but I want to make a note in my log of just how far I have come in a short amount of time.
Ok, so I gave my back a huge rest today. Tomorrow I will be going in for an assistance day to work my back and triceps. I am going to play around with various exercises, and then probably end up doing strict chest supported rows (heavy if I can) and more Kroc Rows (lighter weight and more reps).
I feel good. I feel like I got a good workout yesterday and saved my shoulders. This might be a good alternative for me, especially because I suck at them. I can also play around with how the lift is programmed when I stall.
I am going to shower and do the limber 11 and some stretching before I go to sleep tonight, but I wanted to say this much. I am surprised by the number of guys who are now appearing to drop the hardcore PL lifestyle that some of the other lifters I read about preach. The two that I am watching specifically are Pete Rubish (who is going more natty) and Brandon Lilly (who is dealing with an injury).
I am also surprised by exactly how much a lot of programs borrow from one another.
I will log my limber 11 and stretching from tonight tomorrow.
Thanks for reading everyone.
I love Pete rubish’s YouTube channel…check it out if you haven’t already
[quote]chobbs wrote:
I love Pete rubish’s YouTube channel…check it out if you haven’t already [/quote]
I just found it two days ago. It really is a pretty cool channel.
Today’s work so far…
(3/22/14)
Limber 11 (same protocol I’ve been doing.)
Wall sit x 20 seconds with groin stretch.
Regular apley’s stretch.
5 shoulder dislocations with mini band.
Mini band pull-aparts 3x10.
Here is the rest of the workout from 3/22/14.
Chest Supported Row
10xEmpty Bar
10x45
10x90
10x135
10x135
10x135
10x135
10x135
9X135
10X90
10X90
10X90
10X90
(My form was not super strict toward the end of a few of these sets.)
Cable Rope Pushdown
10x40
10x50
5x60
8 2 2x50
5x50
7 3x40
7 3x40
6 2 2x40
8 2x40
5 5x30
(My arms were on fire for a few of these sets.)
Skull-Crushers
60 lbs for sets of 10/10/10
I really hope my back recovers for tomorrow.
My back is feeling real tight when my lumbar spine goes into flexion. It is definitely more on the right side.
My upper back, specifically between my scapulae, feels absolutely awesome right now.
Everything that benching is for the chest, I have found chest supported row to be for my back. If only my gym had one of these. =[
I think that a healthy diet of thumbless medium-to-wide grip pull ups, Kroc rows, chest supported row, power shrugs, and either t-bar or pendlay rows (your choice) will make anyone’s entire back grow big and strong. Throw in the big barbell movements or strongman events and you will have a back like a gorilla.
Injury Updates
Last night, before I went to sleep, my back was feeling great. I feel that it is improving as the days go by. I am very tempted to either take a day off, or even skip entirely! (I would just do deadlifts instead of squats next week to make up for my missing.
When I come back, I am going to deload my lower body lifts a bit. I probably will start by working up from very light weights to a “5” week. Once I get to that “5” week, I will resume 5/3/1 with my new programming ideas and assistance templates. Most of it will be the same, but I am going to make a few changes to my lifting that I feel are necessary. (There might be some front squats, some back extensions with static holds, and arched back good mornings with light weight thrown in.)
Fixing up my form a bit will be the focus of this time period. I may not be going all out for a little while. I honestly believe that I had a minor strain in my back from doing deadlifts, and then made whatever it was that I injured worse by squatting without allowing it to recover.
I am going to re-evaluate my goals as well. I have reached some of the last bunch that I have set.
Today should have been Deadlift day. I skipped entirely. Paul Carter talked some sense into me yesterday. (The conversation lasted a whole 4 sentences, but it counts!)
Tomorrow I will go to the gym and do both leg curls, leg extensions, and something for my glutes until I puke. I may also do light deadlift and back extensions afterward if I can. I will also do a shit mega ton of shrugs and possibly farmer walks/dumbbell holds for time.
Tonight I will do the limber 11 and the rest of my mobility work while I just chill out, have a beer, and watch one of my friends play basketball at 9.
I have honestly never been a bro before and skipped leg day.
Videos incoming.
I have one of deadlifting 385 for 3 about 6 months ago.
I have one of deadlifting 415 for 5 last month.
I have one of deadlifting 420 for 3 last month. (The camera man must not have gotten the 4th one.)
I have one of squatting 260 for a lift’s last down set.