4/3/14
Full Mobility
Cable Rope Pushdown
10x10/20/30/40 (Ladder set.)
10 3x50 (Rest pause.)
8x40
10x40
10x40
10x10/20/30 (Ladder set.)
EZ-Bar-Looking Tricep Pushdown
100 reps at 30 lbs on stack.
Cable Rope Pushdown
5x35
5x35
5x35
5x35
5x35
This day should have been an off day, but I wanted to hit triceps again. I had a asymmetrical pump going for some reason. I can’t remember if that lasted the whole workout or not. That is what prompted that 100 rep set.
4/4/10
Should have been leg day, but I skipped to rest and go to the Pirates game. No mobility was done either.
Today’s lift. (4/5/14)
Limber 11 with added T-spine rolling/wall sit/Pendlay dorsiflexion
Squat
5xBW
5xBW
5x45
5x135 (Paused.)
5x185 (Paused.)
5x225 (Paused.)
5x275 (Paused. Felt my back a bit, no big deal though.)
3x315 (Paused. Not too difficult, but felt harder than I remember as well. Felt like I was falling forward a bit. Damn.)
1x225 (Back felt odd at bottom. I just called it a day for low bar squats here.)
Front Squat
3x135 (Horrible form.)
3x135 (Better form. Felt super odd though. I am unsure of my depth with this movement.)
3x185
3x185
3x135 (I will comment on these below.)
Leg Press
4 pps x 10
5 pps x 10
6 pps x 5
6 pps x 5 (Felt like my feet were sliding all over the whole time.)
Power Shrug
10x135
10x225
10x275
10x275
I will do the rest of my mobility later tonight. I am not sure about front squatting here. I don’t feel like the setup was optimal. I was doing the whole “choke yourself with the bar” thing, but my shoulders felt odd holding the bar with crossed arms. I am still trying different grips here.
Hopefully this is my last time squatting in Chucks. I feel like front squats are meant to be done in weightlifting shoes haha. I didn’t fall forward doing fronts though.
Oh well. Not bad for the first time back squatting since my back strain. I thought about going for a single at 365 today, but decided to not be greedy. I will work up from here.
It is very possible that I am getting deeper into the hole now, and that is why 315 felt heavier than usual.
I normally have trouble getting to depth with anything less than 185 because it is not heavy enough to push me down all the way. Today I was able to get all the way down with nothing on my back, and then the empty bar.
Also I tried to be a bit more controlled on my descent and all were paused. There was no stretch reflex goin on here.
[quote]zenontheterrible wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
I hit a few bench press PR’s. I’ll log those later.
I also ordered a best belt and pair of Adidas Adipower shoes.[/quote]
right on i have the adidas powerperfect and i’m pretty happy with them.
Nice work on the bench PR’s. [/quote]
Thanks. I just hope I can recover my leg lifts with better form.
Upper body mobility for 4/5/14 is complete.
So for tonight, before I do my mobility work (slowly because I am sore haha) I am going to bitch about something that keeps popping up in weightlifting articles that the average reader seems to not comprehend. You can apply this to just about anything, but I will choose the greatest offenders as of late…the average Joes who dish out advice to everyone.
I have to admit that I have stopped reading anything that talks about Pareto’s principle or whatever the hell it is called.
Pareto’s principle is that you will get 80 percent of your results from 20 percent of your work.
Average Joes interpret this incorrectly, especially when in the context of competitive lifting and training for maximal results. (Again, you can apply this to anything where you are working to be your best or be competitive.)
I have heard multiple people say shit like “you don’t have to do that much to get strong,” and things like “just do what is most effective and leave, forget all that other garbage (down sets, volume work, assistance, etc).”
Before I start talking shit, I am going to tell you this. I do believe that the SAID (specific adaptations to imposed demand) principle is important, makes sense, and should be implemented as part of any serious routine.
We however are dealing with oversimplification. Yes, getting results is simple, but getting the best result possible isn’t THAT simple. You do in fact have to think every now and then.
So, lets say that your goal is to be the strongest and most muscular and sexy version of yourself that you can be. You hear 3 or 4 articles talk about the 80/20 rule, and how it is dumb to do more work than you need to do to get results. They say to just cut down to what is giving you 80 percent of your results and do that. “Don’t worry bro, you’ll get stronger. Just bench and leave” You start to think this is a great idea, so you stop all that other silly work.
“Hell, if you get 80 percent of your benching strength from bench pressing your work sets, why on earth would you ever overhead press, do chins, rows, triceps, etc?”
Why would I settle for squatting 800 when I can squat 1000?
Why would I want to get an 80 percent on the test, when I can just get a 100?
Why? Because, all things being equal (genetics, recovery, talent, health), you will lose to the guy who does 100 percent every time.
Instead of this stupidity and extreme view on training, why not just take a look at the last 3 months of your training? Look at what is working for you, what is not working for you, and what might work for you. Keep the first group, and start to slowly try to get rid of the second group and replace it with the third. If you don’t have a good reason to keep something in your program, toss it. If you can think of something that you need in your program, that will get you to your goal in a more efficient way, you need to ask yourself to come up with a good reason why you aren’t doing that.
See, Bruce Lee WAS right. “Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.”
“Yeah, but there is this one guy who only does X, Y, and Z and he is stronger than you, so he is right.”
Yeah, but you probably shouldn’t assume that you are in the same position as him, that he isn’t doing something else behind the scenes, or that he has gotten 100 percent of what he is capable of!
Almost forgot to log my mobility work. Done for the day of 4/6/14.
4/7/14
Full mobility done for the day.
Gonna get any squat vids soon? I’m curious to see how your technique changes with the AdiPowers.
[quote]Ravenous_ wrote:
Gonna get any squat vids soon? I’m curious to see how your technique changes with the AdiPowers.[/quote]
I have been thinking about doing a “what’s in your bag” type video, and individual reviews of the belt and shoes after I have gotten them and worked with them for a few months.
I will also throw up a video from the same angle, in the same rack, with the same weight of me doing paused work like I was before. This will happen probably the first workout I have the opportunity to squat in the shoes.
I will make a written reminder to do this.
I started lifting 2 years ago after a major life event. I will say that every day I went to the gym unhappy with myself and with a huge chip on my shoulder for about a year. I used to stay after to clean the weight room to make sure that I was dead tired from my lift because I felt like it kept me “level” as well as prevented the pretty little 100 lb things that worked at the gym from having to have to pick up 45 to 100 lb plates that would wreck the barbells if they weren’t unloaded.
I used to think about things that would literally be eating at me all day and all night. I started to look at my hate of certain things in my life as being my own fault. For instance, jealousy of others became my own fault. It was like every time I was insecure about something it was because I viewed it as a threat to my manhood, and I had to straighten it out mentally because that was weakness.
The farther I got along, the more I realize that I admire people for things that they worked to obtain, and that insecurities and fear have no place in our lives because they influence us negatively.
I eventually saw small groups of hardcore lifters in each gym. I am talking about the guys that walk in to the gym and are known to all of the other big guys. You get that nod and a fist bump between sets as you walk through. You talk about form. You help wrap their knees, and they help you load plates and give you a spot.
I noticed that these guys were all progressing, and all the “island lifters,” the guys who weren’t working together, or were unwilling to seek help/take advice, were all stalling out or never even saw their noob gains.
I then put together that it was only the generous, humble guys that would be honest with themselves and others. Those are the people who succeed. All of the other selfish dudes weren’t part of the “brotherhood.” They didn’t get the nods and fist bumps. They didn’t get help chalking up their back before a max squat. They didn’t get the encouragement and information exchange, and they NEVER got the results they were after.
I soon began to realize that my perception of the lifting process had changed about 6 months ago. The weight on the bar wasn’t the measure of a man’s strength (or woman’s for that matter). It WAS however a testament to the way he emptied himself for the things he wanted, his willingness to be honest with himself, and how much he contributed to the success of others.
4/8/14
Lower body mobility done. Will go lift later today and do the upper body portion as my warmup.
Interestingly, my AdiPowers came in today.
The right shoe had a damaged tongue. I have already contacted customer support, and am going to send them back for new ones.
I was so excited. Now I have to wait more.
[quote]trivium wrote:
I started lifting 2 years ago after a major life event. I will say that every day I went to the gym unhappy with myself and with a huge chip on my shoulder for about a year. I used to stay after to clean the weight room to make sure that I was dead tired from my lift because I felt like it kept me “level” as well as prevented the pretty little 100 lb things that worked at the gym from having to have to pick up 45 to 100 lb plates that would wreck the barbells if they weren’t unloaded.
I used to think about things that would literally be eating at me all day and all night. I started to look at my hate of certain things in my life as being my own fault. For instance, jealousy of others became my own fault. It was like every time I was insecure about something it was because I viewed it as a threat to my manhood, and I had to straighten it out mentally because that was weakness.
The farther I got along, the more I realize that I admire people for things that they worked to obtain, and that insecurities and fear have no place in our lives because they influence us negatively.
I eventually saw small groups of hardcore lifters in each gym. I am talking about the guys that walk in to the gym and are known to all of the other big guys. You get that nod and a fist bump between sets as you walk through. You talk about form. You help wrap their knees, and they help you load plates and give you a spot.
I noticed that these guys were all progressing, and all the “island lifters,” the guys who weren’t working together, or were unwilling to seek help/take advice, were all stalling out or never even saw their noob gains.
I then put together that it was only the generous, humble guys that would be honest with themselves and others. Those are the people who succeed. All of the other selfish dudes weren’t part of the “brotherhood.” They didn’t get the nods and fist bumps. They didn’t get help chalking up their back before a max squat. They didn’t get the encouragement and information exchange, and they NEVER got the results they were after.
I soon began to realize that my perception of the lifting process had changed about 6 months ago. The weight on the bar wasn’t the measure of a man’s strength (or woman’s for that matter). It WAS however a testament to the way he emptied himself for the things he wanted, his willingness to be honest with himself, and how much he contributed to the success of others.
[/quote]
This is gold dude
[quote]csulli wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
I started lifting 2 years ago after a major life event. I will say that every day I went to the gym unhappy with myself and with a huge chip on my shoulder for about a year. I used to stay after to clean the weight room to make sure that I was dead tired from my lift because I felt like it kept me “level” as well as prevented the pretty little 100 lb things that worked at the gym from having to have to pick up 45 to 100 lb plates that would wreck the barbells if they weren’t unloaded.
I used to think about things that would literally be eating at me all day and all night. I started to look at my hate of certain things in my life as being my own fault. For instance, jealousy of others became my own fault. It was like every time I was insecure about something it was because I viewed it as a threat to my manhood, and I had to straighten it out mentally because that was weakness.
The farther I got along, the more I realize that I admire people for things that they worked to obtain, and that insecurities and fear have no place in our lives because they influence us negatively.
I eventually saw small groups of hardcore lifters in each gym. I am talking about the guys that walk in to the gym and are known to all of the other big guys. You get that nod and a fist bump between sets as you walk through. You talk about form. You help wrap their knees, and they help you load plates and give you a spot.
I noticed that these guys were all progressing, and all the “island lifters,” the guys who weren’t working together, or were unwilling to seek help/take advice, were all stalling out or never even saw their noob gains.
I then put together that it was only the generous, humble guys that would be honest with themselves and others. Those are the people who succeed. All of the other selfish dudes weren’t part of the “brotherhood.” They didn’t get the nods and fist bumps. They didn’t get help chalking up their back before a max squat. They didn’t get the encouragement and information exchange, and they NEVER got the results they were after.
I soon began to realize that my perception of the lifting process had changed about 6 months ago. The weight on the bar wasn’t the measure of a man’s strength (or woman’s for that matter). It WAS however a testament to the way he emptied himself for the things he wanted, his willingness to be honest with himself, and how much he contributed to the success of others.
[/quote]
This is gold dude[/quote]
Thanks man.
It isn’t so much about the weights for some of the smaller guys. Sometimes they are looking for something more. That is why I always treat them with respect, just like others treated me.
Tonight’s lift (4/8/14).
Upper body mobility done.
YTWL
Press
5x45
5x45
5x45
5x95 (Felt a bit off for some reason.)
5x135 (Felt so easy. I have never felt these go up like this. I felt like I was good for 15.)
3x155
4x170 (Paused. Some were ugly reps. Had to grind the last one haha. PR?)
0x185 (Started to grind it half way up, and decided not to. Just put it down.)
3x155 (Paused. Good reps.)
3x155 (Paused. Good reps.)
3x155 (Paused. Good reps.)
3x155 (Paused. Good reps. I had these all day if I wanted.)
Dips
10/10/10/8+2/10/10/5/4
(Third set was fast. Crappy reps though.)
(Fourth set was controlled/good reps. Had to regrip at eight.)
Thumbless Overhand Wider Grip Pull UP
9/9/9/9*/9/8/5/5
(The set with the * I lost count. I am 99% sure I got over 9 though. I remember thinking that if I was going to miscount, I was going to do more reps than I counted. I think I got 11 there. I heard some shoulder popping on my way down some reps. No pain, but this has been happening more often with pull ups as of late. Maybe because I have too narrow of a grip or something?)
Pretty good lift today. Glad to have it in the books.
Thanks for reading everyone. Have a good night!
I forgot to mention that I will catch up on all of your logs tomorrow!