5/14/16 - Random day for bench. Dunno why, just felt like doing something different.
Bench
45x8,8
135x5,5
185x3
Add Slingshot
225x1
275x1
335x1
385x1
405x1
440x1 PR
365x5 weak showing here. triceps just kinda hit a wall.
Floor Press Paused
225x10
225x10
225x10
225x10
225x10
225x9
Z Press w/ suspended weights
45+50lbs x 8
95+50lbs x 7,x5,x4
65+50lbs x6
45+50lbs x5
Front Raise w/ band
x20
x20
x20
x20
Side Lateral
x20
x15
x15
x15
Back and hip are bothering me still, should feel fine for squats, but either way I think squats will be more dynamic than heavy.
I have some advice on the bands. They are coming loose at the bottom, which makes the bands less effective/cause weird stuff for straight weight. Try feeding the bands through themselves so they are shorter, and have tension in the bottom.
5/16/16
Beltless Pause Squat (high bar)
135x3,3 mobility feels off today, mostly in the upper body
225x2,2
275x2
335x1
375x1
440x1
440x1 smooth, everything felt on point, gave me the go ahead to do another
440x1
I could have done 1 or 2 more sets but at the cost of my wellness didn’t seem worth it. The stones aggravated my back and hip and I’ve been unrelenting with the heavy beltless stuff so I need a lay off. My mid-back under each shoulder blade is feeling pretty compressed when I twist my trunk. Bending at the waist feels okay, so deads should be just fine.
Step Ups to 13 inch (reps per leg)
45x15
95x12
135x10
155x10
185x8
drop set
95x25
Sit Ups w/ band SS front planks
x15/x60s
x12/x50s
x10/x45s
x10/x60s
5/18/16 - Desperately needed a deload on deads and perhaps the rest of the week. Just feeling very beat up.
Deads
315x3
315x3
315x3
Axle Hang Power Snatch
125x3
145x1
175x1
175x1 this was actually a snatch and not a half press lol
195x1 eh
220x1 PR I’d say. This is pretty good to have hit from a hang for me. Good movement to train for strongmenz. Incorporates a good mix of raw strength and explosive power. I will be doing these more often I think, if I don’t forget.
Did a bunch of cool ab stuff that makes me look really fit and called it. Quick workout, will take it easy, minus my press day because pressing is just a fun day for me at this point.
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Axle Hang Power Snatch? I’ve no idea what’s that and I can’t imagine what it looks like but it sure as hell sounds amazing. Do you have any video of it?
Doing it with an axle is a bit ridiculous but it’s sort of the same.
Oh also, ftr, my pubic bone is experiencing the initial bruising a newer olympic weightlifter would experience when they just begin snatching. Damn, it must suck to be born with the perfect levers so that when you hit off the snatch it gets you right in the unit…
Anyway.
I know what’s a hang power snatch haha, I’ve just never seen/heard of anyone doing it with an axle before. Won’t the lack of spin totally throw you off balance?
Sorry rofl. Yeah, I didn’t actually think of the axle not spinning. It didn’t seem to affect me too much. I don’t ever notice if the plates spin freely or not on an axle that doesn’t have fixed plates on them. Definitely worth looking into more, cause who knows, this shit could be very dangerous :o
It’s something you can control for sure. You can really try to lock on the plates with some good collars, or you can let them be a little bit looser. I’m sure if you had them on stupid tight you’d probably dislocate your wrist, haha.
5/20/16 - Crappy pressing day. I just feel like I gotta be stronger on the log for reps. Truly feels like I’m lifting a barbell on mount everest. I just can’t fuckin breathe!
Log (out of rack)
110x5,5
160x3
200x2
belt on
230x10
230x10
220x8
belt off
200x10 didnt stick the last rep but it went up.
Strict Log
110x13
110x10
110x8
110x11
110x10
110x6
110x11
110x10
Banded Tricep Ext
x20
x20
x20
x20
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Definitely good to know things like this. I could have defenestrated that axle…
5/22/16 - Deloading. Fun.
Front Squat
45x8
95x8
145x5
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
Step ups to 13"
40lb DB x 15,15,15,15,15
5/24/16 - Pleasantly surprised with how today went. I normally don’t look to excel on my back days but things just felt very good.
Bent Over Row
95x12
145x12
185x10
225x5
belt on straps on
275x8
335x5
365x11 PR. Normally 365 is heavy as balls and I have a hard time maintaining form but this was EASY. I felt like I was actually doing a row, and engaging my lats and biceps instead of doing some predictable fish out of water flop onto the bar.
275x14
275x12
belt off
225x12
225x12
DB Row (no drops no straps)
100x20
100x20
100x20
Horizontal Band Row (band around elbow/tricep)
x20
x20
x20
x20
Pull Ups
x8
x9
x9
x10
5/26/16 - No spotter today so I just went light and high volume+a variation I have not performed in a while. Today taught me I need to start retraining this movement badly!
Close Grip Bench (ring finger on knurling) 1 min rest per
45x15
135x5
185x5
225x5
225x12
225x10
225x8
225x7
3 min rest for this next set.
225x9 strength was there for 10, but it was one of those reps where you just know it’s going to be one of those grinders that may end up in the bar coming back down on your chest. Not that rolling 225 off my chest is a problem, I honestly could not be arsed doing that. 9 reps is fine.
Z Press (axle) +weight suspended by bands
85x8 chest is so pumped that I’m having a mobility issue
85+50lbs x 5
105+50lbs x 8 PR for these considering fatigue. Also the whip from the bands fucked my 6th rep up and I had to redo it so that definitely shows how tough this can be with little weight.
85+50lbs x 7
85+50lbs x 5
Quick little digression. I was removing the 25 from the bar and replacing it with a 10, and in the process, I had to take off the band suspended 25 as well. So I only have two hands, and for some reason it clicked in my brain to put the TEN POUND PLATE IN MY MOUTH so I didn’t have to drop anything. I wonder if that means I’m incredibly lazy or extremely tenacious.
55+50lbs x 10, almost died on the 1st rep falling back.
Conditioning today was a barn burner. Consisted of 15 seated DB military press (no back support) circuited with 25 sledgehammer swings to the tire. 1 min rest between each circuit, and 3 minute rest between 3 completed circuits. I did this for about 45 minutes and it was awful.
5/28/16
Front Squats
45x10
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x2
325x1
365x8 PR by 2 reps but man I wanted 10 so bad. I will get it soon. I know if I can get 10 with this weight I’ll be within reach of 5 plates.
3 sec Beltless Pause Fronts (60 sec rest)
315x3
315x3 god my rack position has become awful, i blame lat mass for this.
315x3 this was pretty awful, but I must exploit this weakness.
Because of fatigue, these put me in a really cumbersome ATG position that I fell into due to my legs just being shot from one set of 8 lol. I’ll add something like these in after most squat sessions just because.
Front Rack Positions Holds
315x30s
315x30s enough of these for this session. My mid back is ultra compressed lol. Will do more next time MAYBE.
Yoke Zercher Carries (moderate incline at around 3/4 the distance for the 600’ runs)
185x110’
185x110’
185x600’ drop and repick at halfway
185x600’ drop and repick at halfway
Ab circuit: 30 windmills and 20 spiderman pushups. 5 rounds
I tried to creep your youtube channel so I could analyze your crookedness, but your squat looked fairly normal…
Camera angle maybe. TRUST me, it’s pretty bad, I just don’t share how bad it really is to people because it makes me look like I’m complaining or using it as a crutch.
Anyways, I do a lot of hip flossing and “muscle activating” stuff pre-workout that does help me to squat in a non-broken fashion. Plus I stand on a mat that helps to even out a lil bit. Don’t worry, you’re only like 25% as crooked as me, so that’s 75% more gains you’ll receive than me, and the gains lord hasn’t been stingy to me at all!
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5/30/16 - Back down to 230lbs in the morning. Amazing! Diet’s been superb so that’s to blame for the weight loss. Needless to say I was trashed from last workout so today was a barn burner.
Deadlifts (close stance sumo)
135x.5.5.5
225x3
315x3
belt on
405x2
500x8 Hook grip, went great until the 4th rep where my thumb nail started bleeding. Hands were slipping all over from the blood, but finished the set with 3 more in the tank.
straps on
500x8, sweating so much that it was just as much an issue as with bloody hook grip
500x8 this set put me down on both knees by the last few reps. My resting position in a close sumo stance is basically a squat hold and that really starts to kill the quads+the fatigue from the deadlift itself.
I don’t know when exactly I’ll start conventional pulling again. I’m a bit hesitant, because my stance is so close taht I feel like I will have great carry over to conventional, problem is that I know when I bring my hands out it’s going to mess things up. Not so sure I can pull like Brian Shaw either, but we’ll see.
All in all I beat a volume Pr with 500lbs since this was close stance, and last time I did this was wide stance and the first set was off low mats.
HS curl
x15
x15
x15
x15
Banded Donkey (mule, horse, goat?) Kicks
x20
x30
x20
x20
x20
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6/1/16 - Thoracic spine and legs were completely shot. I don’t know if it’s undereating or just a huge amount of work in the last week adn expecting to be recovered enough. Very shaky and off but I got the work done. The below work is all a PR for a 5x5 (6 on last set)
Log (out of rack)
110x5,3
160x2,2
200x1
belt on
230x2
255x5
255x5
255x5 my elbows just do not want to stay up. the presses are just tricep extensions honestly, not even that hard, I’m just really shaky.
255x5 failed to rerack the log and lost it.
255x6 extra because I could.
Close Grip Bench (ring finger on knurl)
225x8
225x8
225x8
225x8
Seated DB Press+Hammer to Tire Circuit
40x15/x30
40x15/x30
40x15/x30
40x15/x30
