[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]csulli wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
How do you feel about the 2 extra “meathead days”?[/quote]
Moar is better!
Also I always do close grip pretty much anytime I do regular bench.
I like rope pushdowns a lot. I really like band pushdowns too, but those start to hurt my elbows if I go overboard with them.[/quote]
Do the band cascade I made up[/quote]
Do you have a link?
[quote]trivium wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]csulli wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
How do you feel about the 2 extra “meathead days”?[/quote]
Moar is better!
Also I always do close grip pretty much anytime I do regular bench.
I like rope pushdowns a lot. I really like band pushdowns too, but those start to hurt my elbows if I go overboard with them.[/quote]
Do the band cascade I made up[/quote]
Do you have a link?[/quote]
Nope. Just drape an array of bands over a pull up bar. Start doing pushdowns. You can do 7s, 10s, whatever. Descend in order of resistance from all bands together until you’re using the single lowest resistance band.
Todays lift was absolute shit.
Bench Press
5x45
5x45
5x135
5x135
5x185
3x205
7x230 (Failed rep number 8. I am pretty upset about this.)
3x205
5x185
Kroc Rows
130 lb dumbbell for sets of 8/8/5 (Real upset with this too. I wanted 5x10.These may be my last Kroc Rows for quite some time.)
Chest supported row
3 plates for sets of 6/6/6/6
(I think I did an extra set at the end of 5 reps. I did these because I needed the back volume. I cant remember though. I forgot my phone to log my numbers today.)
Pendlay Row
135 lbs for sets of 10/10 (I needed more back volume.)
Press
95 lbs for sets of 10/10/5
Here is where today got interesting. I failed rep number 6. Got angry, did 2 more and failed. Got even more angry, got one more. Punched the bar with the side of my hand. Got one more rep. My hand hurts like hell.
From there I did sets of 5/5/5/5 with left shoulder pain, grinding reps like it was my job.
Or at least that is what I keep telling myself. Dang.
After this I just left. I am not happy with my last 2 lifts at all. At least I didn’t leave reps in the tank today. That was all I had to give.
The following are thoughts I had as I left the gym…
No more Kroc rows like this. They take forever because I am actually doing 10 sets, and I feel like I am just cheating the hell out of the reps and my form is terrible. What is the point? I am going to do one hard set every week trying to break records and then just use the chest supported row for the volume instead, and maybe do some pendlay rows for extra reps. For grip Ill add farmers carries? I don’t know. Maybe when I do the triumvirate I will use the same weight for my rows as I do for my dumbbell bench presses?
I do all my DB rows strict and with straps. Usually to the hip for the lats and then I neglect stuff like face pulls and shrugs for the upper back lol
for grip I like doing a high rep set or two or bb shrugs without straps
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[/quote]
=[
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
I do all my DB rows strict and with straps. Usually to the hip for the lats and then I neglect stuff like face pulls and shrugs for the upper back lol
for grip I like doing a high rep set or two or bb shrugs without straps[/quote]
I am going through a rough break up with these. Maybe I will deload them?
Went with my lifting partner to spot one of his make up lifts. He did the same lifts as I did yesterday.
All I did today was some tricep work. My lifting partner drove and he was pressed for time, so we decided to just move the extra trap work to the next workout, which will be a deadlift day (an already trap heavy day). I was curious so I took my partner’s 80 lb dumbbell, and it was real easy to keep form with it. It was nice. This is the reason for my thought of possibly just deloading the lift.
Straight bar pushdown superset
140x10 then 150x10
140x10 then 150x10
140x10 then 130x5 then 120x5 then 110x5 then 80 x 5
Single handle push down on stack
2x10 @ 60
Terrible lift today. Ill log the lift later.
Yesterday’s lift.
Deadlift
5x135
5x135
5x185
5x225
3x275
5x295
3x335
3x375 (My buddy said I got 4 clean ones, but I am only claiming 3. See below.)
3x335
5x295
Squat
5x10 @ 225
Smith Machine Shrug
2 plates per side for sets of 10/10/10 with a nice pause at the top and bottom of the rep.
I just didn’t have it yesterday. I don’t know why. I wanted to get 6. I was losing my grip on my top set and it caused me to have blood blisters on my hands, that popped during my pyramid down sets. I had to spend a ton of time sanitizing the bar and using a towel during my sets to keep everything clean. I got pissed and hurt my hand again. It seems to have already gone down though. Sure made the rest of the day’s sets rough. I’m going to continue with these training maxes and switch to the new assistance next week. I really want to get stronger. I am big enough for now. The strength will only aid my size goals when I decide to bulk up again.
I looked back at my log and I remember a point where I got 275 for 4 on squat and 5 on bench. I remember leaving the gym thinking “what if I plateau here permanently?” I have hit periods where I stalled before, so I guess I am going to just keep going. I want to make some new PR’s!
Last year I did a squat workout on 7/7/12. Here it is. You can see exactly how long I have run this template…
-Squat-
45 x 5
135 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 10 (Felt like sloppy reps and for some reason just felt heavy.)
-Deadlift-
3 x 10 @ 185 (Stopped due to dull aching pain in groin).
Hopefully this new template makes me stronger, makes the lifts a bit less of a chore by shortening them up, and most of all…gives me a breath of fresh air.
Press
7x45
3x95
3x95
5x100
5x115
11x130
7x115
17x100
90% sure I got 11. I have been known to lose count. I don’t care though. I felt strong. Sometimes I wonder about the weight of the bars in commercial gyms.
SO…I went to go do the rest of my workout, and guess what? The gym, that has half a million dollars of machines, didn’t have a regular pull up bar. SO…I was like, “that’s ok, I’ll do dips and then do pull ups at home.” To my surprise, they didn’t have a workable dip station either.
What the hell is wrong with gyms? This is like not having a squat rack. It is embarrassing. This blows my mind. It is almost as bad as not having a squat rack. SO…I stopped home to grab my membership card to the other gym I belong to. They have old rusty equipment, a ton of old beaten strong man equipment, a pull up bar, a dip bar, and a shit ton of trophies in a case right when you walk in. I figured I would log my workout while I was home.
I don’t care if your gym has a bunch of guys with abs all year round. Manorexia is a sad and terrible thing. I am on a mission from God to get stronger.
The rest of today’s workout. I repeated some parts.
Press
5x65
5x85
5x95
5x105
10x135 (Not paused, spotter touched top of #10.)
Pull up
First set was 10 reps, then I got 30 more throughout the workout. I got to rep 20 and went to dips, then came back until I got to rep 30, then went back to dips, then came back to get up to rep 40.
Dips
First set was 10 reps, then I got 30 more throughout the workout. I got to rep 20 and went back to pull ups, then came back until I got to rep 30, then went back to pull ups, then came back to get up to rep 40.
I repeated the press because the bar at this gym felt heavier than the last one. I want to think that I am getting stronger. I’ll take it. I wish I was getting better reps with pull ups. Maybe I will throw a few sets in each workout at the end. I am going to shoot for a new PR on the main lift, and then go for 40 to 50 reps on assistance work. When I get to an opening set of 15 reps, I will add weight to the exercise if possible.
Tomorrow will be the first meathead day.
[quote]trivium wrote:
The rest of today’s workout. I repeated some parts.
Press
5x65
5x85
5x95
5x105
10x135 (Not paused, spotter touched top of #10.)
[/quote]
Ah, so these are seated then?
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
The rest of today’s workout. I repeated some parts.
Press
5x65
5x85
5x95
5x105
10x135 (Not paused, spotter touched top of #10.)
[/quote]
Ah, so these are seated then?[/quote]
No sir, all are standing.
[quote]trivium wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
The rest of today’s workout. I repeated some parts.
Press
5x65
5x85
5x95
5x105
10x135 (Not paused, spotter touched top of #10.)
[/quote]
Ah, so these are seated then?[/quote]
No sir, all are standing.[/quote]
Could you explain the spotter situation to me?
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
The rest of today’s workout. I repeated some parts.
Press
5x65
5x85
5x95
5x105
10x135 (Not paused, spotter touched top of #10.)
[/quote]
Ah, so these are seated then?[/quote]
No sir, all are standing.[/quote]
Could you explain the spotter situation to me?[/quote]
You stand in the rack as per usual, and they stand behind you and either spot the bar, or your elbows. My lifting partner is a bit taller than I, so he can spot the bar. I am shorter, so for him, I spot the elbows. We do not do the whole “you got it bro…it’s all you.” Stuff. Only the reps you get on your own count, and if the spot touches, the set is over when you get to the top of the rep. (Technically I got 9 under my own power. He assisted the very top, at lockout.)
More or less they are there for moral support, to make sure you don’t cheat, and to keep you from dumping the bar backwards.
[quote]trivium wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]trivium wrote:
The rest of today’s workout. I repeated some parts.
Press
5x65
5x85
5x95
5x105
10x135 (Not paused, spotter touched top of #10.)
[/quote]
Ah, so these are seated then?[/quote]
No sir, all are standing.[/quote]
Could you explain the spotter situation to me?[/quote]
You stand in the rack as per usual, and they stand behind you and either spot the bar, or your elbows. My lifting partner is a bit taller than I, so he can spot the bar. I am shorter, so for him, I spot the elbows. We do not do the whole “you got it bro…it’s all you.” Stuff. Only the reps you get on your own count, and if the spot touches, the set is over when you get to the top of the rep. (Technically I got 9 under my own power. He assisted the very top, at lockout.)
More or less they are there for moral support, to make sure you don’t cheat, and to keep you from dumping the bar backwards.[/quote]
I see lol. That’s how I first pictured it. Never actually seen anyone spot a standing overhead press before.
Standing Straight Bar Curls (NOT IN A SQUAT RACK)
10x35
10x55
10x60
10x75
10x75
7x85
8x75
5x75 (Nice squeeze at top.)
5x75 (Nice squeeze at top.)
Face Pull
4x10 @ 170
Then a drop set…
10x170 drop to 10x150 drop to 10x100 (The 10x100 was done with great concentration on form.)
Rear laterals
20 lb dumbbells for sets of 15/15/15/10/10
Nothing special tonight. Face pulls just didn’t feel right for some reason. I was getting calf cramps for some reason, when I would squat down to do them. I like the soreness I got from yesterday’s lift. My chest is lit up from the dips, and my lats feel all nice.
I also wanted to add a special thanks to everyone who has taken time to read, and comment in my log. You have made logging my workout something I look forward to doing.
