How do you set up the Anderson squats? If the bar is dead on pins or something similar, a drop like that isn’t uncommon. Having to wedge under the bar ahead of time can really kill your drive out of the hole. I used to get terrible hip flexor pain from it.
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
How do you set up the Anderson squats? If the bar is dead on pins or something similar, a drop like that isn’t uncommon. Having to wedge under the bar ahead of time can really kill your drive out of the hole. I used to get terrible hip flexor pain from it.[/quote]
I only have a cheap squat stand which adjusts in ~1 inch increments so I load the bar up at the appropriate height, then squat underneath to move it. I also have to either guestimate depth by looking in a reflection or take some weight off the bar, which seems to defeat the point.
My set up is quite difficult lower down, I have to really pay attention to making sure my set up looks like the bottom part of a squat and that I don’t deliberately spread my feet etc. I often do a few practise squats outside the stand first to get used to the position. The biggest problem I find is getting air in my belly and staying tight when I’m already in a constricted position, maybe this is a reflection of my weak point in a standard squat.
I’m currently debating whether to reset to a shorter ROM at a heavier weight, carry on with the plan as is and go to parallel and beyond or to swap them out entirely and go for paused squats.
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
How do you set up the Anderson squats? If the bar is dead on pins or something similar, a drop like that isn’t uncommon. Having to wedge under the bar ahead of time can really kill your drive out of the hole. I used to get terrible hip flexor pain from it.[/quote]
I only have a cheap squat stand which adjusts in ~1 inch increments so I load the bar up at the appropriate height, then squat underneath to move it. I also have to either guestimate depth by looking in a reflection or take some weight off the bar, which seems to defeat the point.
My set up is quite difficult lower down, I have to really pay attention to making sure my set up looks like the bottom part of a squat and that I don’t deliberately spread my feet etc. I often do a few practise squats outside the stand first to get used to the position. The biggest problem I find is getting air in my belly and staying tight when I’m already in a constricted position, maybe this is a reflection of my weak point in a standard squat.
I’m currently debating whether to reset to a shorter ROM at a heavier weight, carry on with the plan as is and go to parallel and beyond or to swap them out entirely and go for paused squats.[/quote]
Might consider getting some stacks of plywood. You could set a few of them under the squat stands and then remove a slat of plywood each week to get a more gradual progression, and then when you’ve reduced all the plywood you move the squat stands down 1 peg and replace the plywood and start all over.
Other materials could work too, but the premise is the same: move the stands up and down with smaller increments than the pegs will move.
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
How do you set up the Anderson squats? If the bar is dead on pins or something similar, a drop like that isn’t uncommon. Having to wedge under the bar ahead of time can really kill your drive out of the hole. I used to get terrible hip flexor pain from it.[/quote]
I only have a cheap squat stand which adjusts in ~1 inch increments so I load the bar up at the appropriate height, then squat underneath to move it. I also have to either guestimate depth by looking in a reflection or take some weight off the bar, which seems to defeat the point.
My set up is quite difficult lower down, I have to really pay attention to making sure my set up looks like the bottom part of a squat and that I don’t deliberately spread my feet etc. I often do a few practise squats outside the stand first to get used to the position. The biggest problem I find is getting air in my belly and staying tight when I’m already in a constricted position, maybe this is a reflection of my weak point in a standard squat.
I’m currently debating whether to reset to a shorter ROM at a heavier weight, carry on with the plan as is and go to parallel and beyond or to swap them out entirely and go for paused squats.[/quote]
Might consider getting some stacks of plywood. You could set a few of them under the squat stands and then remove a slat of plywood each week to get a more gradual progression, and then when you’ve reduced all the plywood you move the squat stands down 1 peg and replace the plywood and start all over.
Other materials could work too, but the premise is the same: move the stands up and down with smaller increments than the pegs will move.
[/quote]
I have a couple of old kitchen doors I use for progressive ROM training on deadlift. I reckon they would probably cut the drops in half, maybe even more. As someone with far more experience of ROM progression, would you recommend resetting to slightly over my “sticking point” and just lowering more gradually?
Usually, in this position, I’ll start starting the lifts from the top instead of from the bottom and keep progressing that way, but given your equipment limitations, I think starting the cycle over again with more gradual progressions will pay off.
[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
Usually, in this position, I’ll start starting the lifts from the top instead of from the bottom and keep progressing that way, but given your equipment limitations, I think starting the cycle over again with more gradual progressions will pay off.[/quote]
I’ll give it a go, see what happens.
Thank you.
Bench day, 5/3/1 week:
Bench:
some x 60kg
some x 70kg
3 x 80kg
3 x 85kg
6 x 87.5kg
6 x 3 x 82.5kg
2 x 3 x 85kg
2 x pull up ladders, some band pull aparts and sit ups in between.
This log is getting dull, feel I’ll need to throw some challenges in soon.
Deadlift day, 5/3/1 week:
I’m not going to bother logging warm up/ramping sets from now on, just take it as read that they’re done.
Deadlift:
worked up to 152.5kg x 1.
Mat pulls:
3 x 1 @ 160kg
Front Squats:
5 x 5 @ 80kg
Inbetween work sets: 4 x pull up ladders, some hanging leg raises.
Today felt much more difficult than anticipated. I’ve cut my calories quite drastically this week, which could be a reason, or it could just be a bad week. I’m definitely noticing my recover has been much slower than normal. Next week, I’ll be trialling putting calories back up and switching to a slightly modified version of the 5/2 diet for lifters detailed here:
Hopefully this should solve the recovery issue, while still allowing me to stay sane. Weighed myself for the first time in a few months recently, and tipped the scales at a touch under 200lbs, which would be good except there’s no way my strength justifies that kind of weight gain so it’s definitely time to get the diet and conditioning sorted.
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
110kg x 3 (had to stop the set here because one of the cats decided he wanted to play with the plates mid air and I didn’t fancy cleaning cat guts off my weights)
[/quote]
Re: the cats, when I was growing up and lifted with my dad in our breezeway, I was always worried about this, too. Our cats would often come out and “watch” us lift, but they never really got near the plates during a set. Usually just curled up in the front window and went to sleep, actually.
I suspect you will enjoy the 40 kg kettlebell. It was a game-changer for me. And the first time you do swings with it, pay attention and focus.
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
110kg x 3 (had to stop the set here because one of the cats decided he wanted to play with the plates mid air and I didn’t fancy cleaning cat guts off my weights)
[/quote]
Re: the cats, when I was growing up and lifted with my dad in our breezeway, I was always worried about this, too. Our cats would often come out and “watch” us lift, but they never really got near the plates during a set. Usually just curled up in the front window and went to sleep, actually.[/quote]
I’ve had cats around plenty and they’ve never come close mid set before or since, but for some reason that day he had a death wish. He hurdled a ~150kg bar halfway up as well and nearly got landed on almost every set of pull-ups.
[quote]
I suspect you will enjoy the 40 kg kettlebell. It was a game-changer for me. And the first time you do swings with it, pay attention and focus.[/quote]
I’ve been wanting a heavier kB for ages, not just because my 24kg is a oversized plastic monstrosity, it’s also just a bit too easy for swings.
Bodybuilder shoulder day:
Sots press:
some
OHP:
worked up to 5 singles at ~60kg. Was meant to be 5/3/1 but hadn’t had any caffeine today so couldn’t remember what I was meant to be hitting so just went for a new max single, then when it felt easy, I did a few more.
dB incline press:
some at 2x30kg
smith machine incline:
some pump work at 60kg, sets of ~20 until failure
shoulder “complex”:
muscle snatches, seated press, Z-press, standing press.
5 sets of each, 3 rounds
rear delt hang and swing sets:
3 x 35
4 x 250m row sprints.
This workout is a bit of a mess, will make sure I plan a bit better next time.
Didn’t realise I had a shoulder impingement on my left side until I did the Sots presses today. I knew my left side was weaker but not exactly why. I’m in two minds whether this is a problem I want to deal with or whether I want to just not do Sots presses again and ignore it.
So, my left shoulder is now fucked. Happy days.
Squat day, 5’s week:
Squat:
Worked up to 100kg x 10. Could probably have done more strength-wise but my breath was giving out. More conditioning needed I think.
Box squats:
5 x 120kg
10 x 130kg
10 x 135kg
Box set to slightly above the point where my strength dropped drastically on my last cycle of Anderson squats. Am using box squats instead of Anderson squats as it’s easier to judge the depth, rather than rely on guestimates.
Makeshift “ab paveliser”:
~5 x 10
Saw the ab paveliser on dragon door the other day and thought it was a genius way to take the hip flexors out of the picture, but I wasn’t about to buy another piece of kit just for that. My solution was to sling a really light resistance band over a racked bar and put it under my feet. It seems to do the job of making my feet “weightless”, without buying another bit of kit. Now in fairness, I have never used a real “paveliser”, so I have nothing to compare it to, but this seems to do the job fine.
EDIT: Afternoon workout:
10 x 130kg farmer walks
Bench day, 5’s week:
Worked up to 80kg x 10. Fairly comfortable, given the issues I’ve been having with my shoulder the last few days.
4 x 3 @ 82.5kg
4 x 3 @ 85kg
2 x pull up ladders and band pull-aparts in between.
Upper body joints are starting to feel a bit old, so a deload is going to be needed soon I think.
Deadlift day, 5’s week:
Deadlift:
Worked up to 142.5kg x 5. Pretty easy
“mat” pulls from about 3" off the ground:
5 x 1 @160kg
Front Squat:
4 x 6 @ 80kg
hanging leg raises/back extensions:
3 rounds of “some”
Sorry to hear about your shoulder as someone who suffers with tennis elbow I feel your pain but hopefully after a deload youll feel as good as new 
[quote]tredaway wrote:
Sorry to hear about your shoulder as someone who suffers with tennis elbow I feel your pain but hopefully after a deload youll feel as good as new :-)[/quote]
Thanks for the concern man,
After a heavy bench day it feels ropey but basically fine, it’s an ongoing thing that I barely notice until I try doing stupid stuff like Sotts presses so as long as I keep to bilateral movements until deload, I should be fine.
Shoulder day:
Push Press:
5 x 5 @65kg
Pull-ups:
lots, with varying weights between legs
Smith incline press:
3 x AMAP, somewhere between 15-20 every time
Clean and Press:
5 x 10 @40kg
Face pulls/cable curls superset:
3 x 20 each.
Still not really getting the hang of bodybuilder style workouts to be honest. Need to actually buckle down, put my mind to it and work out a sensible, effective plan rather than just winging it every time. Been saying that for the last 3 weeks though.
1 Clean and 2 Pushpress(clean 1st rep, push press 2 reps
work up to 72kg for 2 sets of 2 reps
1 Clean and 3 Strict Presses(clean 1st rep, press 3 reps)
60kg for 2 sets of 3 reps
Clean and Press(clean all reps0
45kg for 2 sets of 5
Do 2-4 chinups after every set of presses
Seated High Incline Dumbbell Press
25kg for 5 reps, 3 sets
Do rear delts, or fat-man chinups, or upperback/rotator cuff stuff on the rings, or Blast Straps or suspension trainer, or whatever between sets of dumbbell presses.
Finish with a few sets for bi’s and tri’s.
Every week, add in another work set or 2. Don’t add weight, don’t go over the 2, 3, or 5 reps, just add more sets. Every week you’ll get better at pressing, and you’ll dominate the weights more and more. Technique will just get tighter and tigher, and you’ll be moving these weights like a well oiled machine. By the time you get to 5 worksets each lift, in about 2 months you will have more than doubled your workload. Your shoulders will either grow or fall off.
[quote]FlatsFarmer wrote:
1 Clean and 2 Pushpress(clean 1st rep, push press 2 reps
work up to 72kg for 2 sets of 2 reps
1 Clean and 3 Strict Presses(clean 1st rep, press 3 reps)
60kg for 2 sets of 3 reps
Clean and Press(clean all reps0
45kg for 2 sets of 5
Do 2-4 chinups after every set of presses
Seated High Incline Dumbbell Press
25kg for 5 reps, 3 sets
Do rear delts, or fat-man chinups, or upperback/rotator cuff stuff on the rings, or Blast Straps or suspension trainer, or whatever between sets of dumbbell presses.
Finish with a few sets for bi’s and tri’s.
Every week, add in another work set or 2. Don’t add weight, don’t go over the 2, 3, or 5 reps, just add more sets. Every week you’ll get better at pressing, and you’ll dominate the weights more and more. Technique will just get tighter and tigher, and you’ll be moving these weights like a well oiled machine. By the time you get to 5 worksets each lift, in about 2 months you will have more than doubled your workload. Your shoulders will either grow or fall off. [/quote]
I will absolutely give that a shot. Only got 2 weeks left of my current cycle so will probably work it into my next (probably pretty similar) cycle and let you know how it goes.
Thanks man