I think that my bench is finally starting to return from the dead.
Klokov Press
(45 x some)x2
95x5
105x5 (PR)
100x5 (tried different grip)
On the last set, I placed my hands directly in the middle of the outer-most knurling. A little more narrow…think it works well. So far these haven’t given any real problems.
Press
100x3
135x3
145x3
145x2 ( 1 push press)
145x1
It’s hilarious how much I suck at these. This must be what it feels like to be Steve. I haven’t strict pressed in a while. Kind of forgot to push my head through, although it seems like I have a pretty good grasp of making a “shelf” for the bar to accelerate off of.
Lat Pulldown
175x10
220x10
280x5 (PR lol)
—dropset—
130x10 (stretch at top, squeeze at chest, strict, yadda yadda)
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
Got the idea of throwing in heavy lat pulldowns; this gym doesn’t have a single bloody straight pullup bar, and instead has an apparatus attached to each cable station that includes a neutral grip with a normal rubber straight grip on each side that curves downward on the end. I miss mah weighted chins…pullups just aren’t the same. Lat pulldowns (underhand) will probably be okay for replicating it…you’d think that something as rudimentary as a standard, straight, metallic pullup bar with some knurling on it would not be such an elusive fucking thing in a place like this.[/quote]
I have the exact same problem with my gym. I have no idea what they were thinking when they designed the equipment.
x2 Consul and I gotta straighten this DL out first Commander Parnell.
July 28, 2012
Sumo Pull
135 x some
225x5
275x3
315x3
365x2
405x1
455x1
485x1
515x1 (PR)
Almost shart myself while locking out the 515. I guess now I know what I really need to improve eh? It felt good to finally hit a legit DL PR, but nevertheless I’m still disgusted; I should be pulling 40 lbs more than that.
Olympic Squat
185x5
(225x5)x3
Worked up to 185x5 on the front squat and decided to do these instead. A pair of Do-Wins is desirable lol.
Standing Cable Abs - 3 sets
Need to see what I can do about this retarded deadlift.
Alright, so these are some training adjustments that I’m going to try and make:
Switch from a “work up to a 5RM” scheme for low box squats to around eight doubles
Incorporate ultra-wide sumo work…probably weekly after squats
Try and actually stick with some glute activation stuff…logical that I do this anyway with all of the sitting I do
I may also try working in some type of deficit sumo work (read: may), although I don’t know how I would set it up. I’ll record a few pulls soon so that I can get some feedback on my technique. Also, any thoughts on the effectiveness of rack pulls?
45 x some
135x8
225x5
270x5
320x3
355x3
380x3
400x2 (PR, Video, missed 3rd rep)
FUUUUUUUUUUUUU- so close! LOL…if I didn’t mess up the first rep (maybe it’s hard to see but I was too far forward) I would have pulled it off. When the right day comes I’m probably going to triple four pies for atonement.
Tore some skin on my thumb. Definitely a lot of PRs in there…haven’t done these in a long time.
Back Raise - (BW x hhnnnngg)x3
CSR - (2 plates x 15)x2 (strict-er)
In spite of some setbacks, this session was pretty good. Will get on that squat soon. I also tried my hand at adding some music to my videos like Adam…
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
Also, any thoughts on the effectiveness of rack pulls?[/quote]
I don’t really have any personal experience here, but FWIW, I was reading on Lift Run Bang that Paul recommends doing rack pulls from below the knee, as it’s harder than above the knee, and has better carry over to the deadlift.
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
Also, any thoughts on the effectiveness of rack pulls?[/quote]
I don’t really have any personal experience here, but FWIW, I was reading on Lift Run Bang that Paul recommends doing rack pulls from below the knee, as it’s harder than above the knee, and has better carry over to the deadlift.
[/quote]
Yeah man. I wouldn’t bother doing them from at the knee or above…seems like an ego thing more than anything else. I’ve heard something to the effect of that you shouldn’t set the bar where you actually miss, but rather where it begins to slow towards the sticking point. This is also coming straight from Louie Simmons mouth: a rack pull should only be 10% more than your best deadlift. I’m kind of hesitant to give them a fair go because I’m concerned with how much carryover (or lack thereof) they will have since I’ve never really done partials, but considering how much Westside has/does whore them, there has to be something to them, in spite of them kind of getting a bad rap.
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
Also, any thoughts on the effectiveness of rack pulls?[/quote]
I don’t really have any personal experience here, but FWIW, I was reading on Lift Run Bang that Paul recommends doing rack pulls from below the knee, as it’s harder than above the knee, and has better carry over to the deadlift.
[/quote]
This^
Although doing rack pulls above the knees could help get used to heavier weights and can help your grip.
But doing rack pulls from about where your sticking point is, is the the better option for rack pulls.
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
Also, any thoughts on the effectiveness of rack pulls?[/quote]
I don’t really have any personal experience here, but FWIW, I was reading on Lift Run Bang that Paul recommends doing rack pulls from below the knee, as it’s harder than above the knee, and has better carry over to the deadlift.
[/quote]
Yeah man. I wouldn’t bother doing them from at the knee or above…seems like an ego thing more than anything else. I’ve heard something to the effect of that you shouldn’t set the bar where you actually miss, but rather where it begins to slow towards the sticking point. This is also coming straight from Louie Simmons mouth: a rack pull should only be 10% more than your best deadlift. I’m kind of hesitant to give them a fair go because I’m concerned with how much carryover (or lack thereof) they will have since I’ve never really done partials, but considering how much Westside has/does whore them, there has to be something to them, in spite of them kind of getting a bad rap.[/quote]
I’ve heard similar things. Sounds like you know what you’re doing, man.
(45 x some)x2
135x8
185x5
230x5
245x5 (technical PR? Video)
I actually did a second set of five with 245, but it was so atrociously abyssal (I practically zerchered the last rep up) that I’m not going to even say that I did it. Besides the set which never happened, technique felt pretty good.
Bench
45 x some
135x8
175x5
205x3
235x1 (paused)
250x1 (paused)
270x1 (was supposed to be paused lulz, Video)
(240x2)x2
Well these were weaksauce today…I guess working up to a paused single every week has caught up to me haha.
Press
45x10
95x5
135x5
160x3 (PR…kind of cheap at that, Video)
135 didn’t feel particularly terrible…decided to throw on 160 and see what I can do with it. Not horrible considering the benching beforehand.
Lat Pulldown
190x10
235x10
235x5
Overall this session wasn’t spectacular, but it could have been a lot worse. It sort of felt like a drag however…probably due to my less-than-optimal physical state at the time.
Threw in musik again for the lulz…hope nobody minds too much lol.
45 x some
135x8
225x5
275x3
325x3
360x3
385x3
405x3 (PR, Video)
So I’m not sure about the depth on the 405. It FELT fine except for the last rep which felt like it might have been a tad higher than usual, but I’m unsure. Maybe I’m brooding over it just because I picked a crappy camera angle lol. Let me know of any thoughts about depth. Felt pretty good from the getgo today even in spite of a slightly tweaked right hip flexor.
Olympic Squat (heels elevated) - (225x5)x2 (shut these down because my hip flexor was having none of it)
Sumo DL
(225x3)x2
(315x3)x2
365x2
(420x2)x2
Total garbage. Called it. Tried getting more low back arch and rounding more at the shoulders…something to give some time to.
DB Bench
60’s x 15
75’s x 10
95’s x 8
110’s x 3 (technical PR)
Lol lame.
HS High Row
2 PPS x 12
3 PPS x 10
2 PPS x 10
Uber strict and very little rest.
I also chalked up my upper back properly for the first time as you can see on the video. I saw chalk on the middle of the bar after the set, so I knew that I must have put it in the right place. Not sure how much of a difference it made, but it sure as hell couldn’t have hurt.
Today, I’m going to start a bench cycle from Lift Run Bang. This is what it looks like:
Training Max = 93% of Real Max
Week 1 - 80% x 1, 70% x max reps
Week 2 - 85% x 1, 75% x max reps
Week 3 - 90% x 1, 80% x max reps
Week 4 - 93% x 1, 85% x max reps
Week 5 - 95% x 1, 85% x max reps
Week 6 - 98% x 1, 90% x max reps
Week 7 - 100% x 3
I’ll go with my PR of 285 for the Real Max, giving me 265 as a Training Max. Now to plug this shit in…
Week 1 - 210 x 1, 185 x max reps
Week 2 - 225 x 1, 200 x max reps
Week 3 - 240 x 1, 210 x max reps
Week 4 - 245 x 1, 225 x max reps
Week 5 - 250 x 1, 225 x max reps
Week 6 - 260 x 1, 240 x max reps
Week 7 - 265 x 3
I’ll pause the singles, Week 7’s triple, and go touch + go on the rep sets. I haven’t done high reps on the bench in forever, so we’ll see how that goes. At a glance this looks conservative as hell, but maybe that’s a good thing at this point. Looking forward to seeing how this pans out; I haven’t followed any type of real structure since 5/3/1. Apparently, Paul worked up to a max single on Week 7 instead of the prescribed triple…maybe I’ll try doing that. Depends.
(45 x some)x2
135x8
175x3
210x1 (paused)
185x15 (PR by default)
God I suck at high reps. Felt rather energetic coming into it.
Klokov Press
(45 x lots)x2
95x5
(105x5)x2 (PR)
I think I may have slightly strained my right shoulder by doing these. I feel nothing now, but I’ll do some other type of overhead work next week and compare how it feels.
Lat Pulldown
190x10
235x10
280x5
205x10
Face Pull - 3 sets (stricter)
Tricep Pushdown - 2 x lots
Barbell Curl
45 x lots
95x8
75x10
Leaning forward and keeping the elbows pinned make these hard as hell.
