Squat night. I'm trying to decide on what meet I want to do. I'm not coming up with much. It seems like ones with good proximity are too soon or the ones that are the right time are far away or have a little too steep of an entry fee. Anyone, one of the meets that I haven't dismissed is a single-ply meet in June, so I need to start working some gear back into the rotation now. So that's what I did.
Warm-up
stationary bike - 5 min
leg curl x 10 x 3
leg extension x 10 x 3
squat
bar x 10
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 5
405 x 5
add belt
455 x 1
add suit bottoms
500 x 5
550 x 5 x 3
That's all I had time for. I only did 4 reps on the GHR because I forgot my padding for the head of this thing so it was killing my quads and I had to go anyway. I was pretty gassed after my last set of squats anyway. I had to go to the gym earlier than I had anticipated, so I didn't eat. I actually was just finished cooking my dinner and left it on the counter and ate it when I got back. As for the weight, I think I could have handled 10 - 20 lbs more for the 3 sets. It's hard to say though.
I did a little deadlift today. I opted to do a bunch of triples instead of singles. Just wanted a little more volume in on the whole thing. I also used a sumo stance to switch things up a bit. I also used some chain weight. So in summation, this was nothing like my usual speed day other than I was in my basement. Well for part of it, so I screwed with that too. Anyway, here's the work.
Warm up
reverse hyper
bodyweight x 10 x 3
Sumo deadlift
135 x 10
135 + 30 chain x 1*
135 + 120 chain x 5
250 + 120 chain x 5
added 200 lbs band tension
250 + 120 chain x 3 x 2 sets
270 + 120 chain x 3 x 5 sets
*I did 1 rep just to see if the chain would stay on how I set it across the bar.
video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVXpVNoV9x8
After that I went outside and did some conditioning work. Kinda like last time. I did some jump rope and tire dragging. I decided to leave out the overhead pressing because I am going to bench tomorrow.
Back to bench training again. Working the 1 second pause with triples tonight. I haven't been really pushing the weight the last couple weeks, but my shoulder is holding up well. One of these days I would really like to work up to a paused 500 lb raw bench. Anyway, the weights moved well tonight. I probably could have done another 5-10 lbs. I figure that next week I will do the singles around 415 - 420. Not a lot, but after that I plan on getting back into my single-ply shirt for a bit.
Warm up
Stationary bike - 5 minutes
shoulder circles
Bench
bar x 20
135 x 10
225 x 10
275 x 5
add pause
315 x 5
385 x 3
395 x 3 x 2 sets
Didn't have any more time. The high school bought some chain because apparently they miss mine. They didn't have them set up right, so I frittered away 20 minutes with that. They don't even have a lead chain to attach to the bar. They have 4 short lengths of 5/16" chain and 4 more too small to work d - links. I'm not sure what their plan is, but at least they are trying. Just from holding them, I estimated that they have about 60 lbs in chain.
I did some more conditioning work today. Nothing too spectacular, but it got the blood moving
Jump rope x 100
tire pulling forward/backward x 80 ft.
cleans with cement weights x 10 w/~100 lbs.
I did three rounds of this and then I went inside and did 3 sets of 5 reps of light band assisted pull ups with three different grips. I opted not to do a press with the cement weights this time because my left shoulder is feeling weird. Kinda like I pinched a nerve or something. Oh yeah, on my last set of jumps, I broke my jump rope. Dammit. I think I can fix it.
Squats again. I worked up to some triples with my single-ply suit bottoms. On my last two sets I was shifting my weight little onto the balls of my feet and slowing me down. That's been an ongoing problem and I need to address it better. A little bit of extra strain, so I broke some blood vessels in my pretty face.
Warm-up
Stationary bike - 5 min
circuit
Hamstring curl x 10 x 3
Leg extension x 10 x 3
GHR - bodyweight x 8 x 3
Squat
bar x 10
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 5
405 x 5
add belt
455 x 1
add suit bottoms
500 x 5
550 x 1
600 x 3 x 3
That's it. Doesn't look like a lot, but it took me plenty of time. One of my training partners showed up around the 455, so I got to talking and it was probably nearly a half hour between the 455 and 500. It happens to me sometimes. Well I did all my reps well enough, so I will go for 650 for my singles next week. If you watch the video, you will notice that I am using a different camera angle. This is because I am using a tripod now, rather than just setting the camera on the counter. I think the front showcases the squat better than the reverse angle, but with all the crap in the way, you can't actually see the weight. I think that takes a little away from the video, but unless I am going to re-arrange the gym when I go in, I just have to live with it.
Ok, here's what I did today. I was thinking about doing some light reps on the bench, but I didn't feel like moving the bar and weights around, so I did something else.
DB hammer curls superset with monster mini band extensions.
curls 10 x 3
extensions 12 x 3
Then I went outside for a little conditioning medley. I didn't want to pull the tire because it was getting dark and I didn't want to talk to the police about how I was making noise. So instead I carried a 90 lb feldspathic granitoid 80 ft down and back. I should note that I hugged the rock so that its weight made it harder to breathe. So...
Jump rope x 100
Rock carry down and back
cement weight clean x 10
I did this for three rounds and then went back inside and did 4 sets of 5 with light band assisted pull-ups.
I had a pretty solid bench session tonight. My shoulder held up well. I couldn't go into the high school like I usually do, so I hit the basement. This posed a problem for what I had planned because I don't have a lot of little change. This means I couldn't load the weight I wanted for the paused singles. The closest I could get without going over was 410, so I decided to do paused doubles. Doing what I can with what I got.
Warm up
Monster mini press downs
superset with
monster mini rows
shoulder circles
Bench
bar x 15
135 x 10
185 x 10
250 x 10
add pause
340 x 5
410 x 2 x 3 sets
touch and go
450 x 1
monster mini press downs x 10
mini + monster mini rows x 10
hammer curls 45 lbs x 10
I did the accessories as a tri-set for four rounds. The paused double went really well. I honestly could have done triples, but as soon I did the first two, I got it in my head to try 450 tonight. I'm glad I did. I probably could have done at least 5 lbs more, maybe 10. If I can actually get my shoulder to stay healthy for a while, I may get 500 around summer time? We'll see. Next week I want to do something in my single-ply shirt for the next mesocycle. Right now, I'm thinking 5's to a 2-board, 3's to a 1 board and singles all the way.
I guess Friday is going to be conditioning day for now. It seems to fit into the rotation well. Anyway, it was about the same stuff again.
jump rope x 100
tire drag forward 80ft/ backward 80ft
cement weight clean x 10
I did this for 3 rounds and then went to the basement and did 3 sets of light band assisted pullups for 6 reps. I used 3 different grips. Now on to Sunday to see how my squat goes.
It's Squatterday! It was singles week in this routine I've been doing. I was really feeling kind of "blah" going into this session, so I wasn't really sure how things were going to go. However, experience tells me that some of my best training sessions have come on days that I have felt like crap, so I pressed on as planned.
Warm up
stationary bike - 5 min
circuit
leg curls x 10 x 3
leg extension x 10 x 3
GHR bodyweight x 10 x 3
Squat
bar x 10
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 5
405 x 5
add belt
455 x 1
add single ply suit bottoms
500 x 5
550 x 1
600 x 1
650 x 1 x 2
660 x 1
That's all. As the workout moved on I started to feel better. As you can see in the video, the first two singles went well enough that I decided to bump up the weight for the last one. I didn't go nuts because I wasn't chancing failing. I just wanted a little more challenge. Depth looks good. Time is really getting away from me because the meet I was strongly thinking about doing is two weeks away. Shit! I haven't been in my shirt since December. I don't know anymore. I should probably look into some other feds and see if they got something a little closer. I might end up doing that raw push-pull in Chicago just to do a meet. I haven't been on the platform since the end of last August! If I can get a meet I seem to be on track to meet my goal of at least a 705 squat 705 deadlift and any bench over 500. Not a great total, but a good indication that I've got my back under control.
I really didn't do much yesterday as far as training went. I just couldn't seem to get in the mood to do any deadlifts, so I just ended up doing some stretching and 4 sets of 10 bodyweight reverse hypers. Barely worth posting, but I figure if I didn't, I won't remember later when I'm analyzing what I have done in the past.
Also, I think I am finally going to get a deadlift bar. I need to figure out where I get it from. I am probably going with the Texas.
Central Florida. Got a half rack and a power rack at home.
Age
54
Posts
711
Originally Posted by BigChrisF
As the name implies, after a couple weeks I can't remember exactly what I've done, so it makes it more difficult to spot trends in my training. So I'm going to see how long I remember to update this.
Right now I am weight training 4 days a week on a hybrid 5-3-1 program. Basically two days are that and then the other two are speed work. For this 3 week block, I am doing close-grip incline press and SSB squats. I hate that bar so much.
Tonight was Close-grip inclines
I wave my arms around in circles like a retard for a while to start my warm-up.
bar x 10
95 x 10
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 6?
275 x 5
315 x 3
350 x 3 x 3
Flat dumbell press with parallel grip
80 lb x 30
I don't like high reps. Then I did a few sets of standing alternating KB shoulder press with a 20 kg kettlebell. I don't know how many. I just know I did more than a few. I'm a powerlifter. I don't count above 3 very well.
If you are having trouble remembering what you have done in your workouts why not write it down?
I always keep a running log of what things I have done so the following week I know where I need to go and if I find a problem area I start asking questions. My own journey comes from my log including the notes. So even when my journey ends online I still have it on paper.
If you are having trouble remembering what you have done in your workouts why not write it down?
I always keep a running log of what things I have done so the following week I know where I need to go and if I find a problem area I start asking questions. My own journey comes from my log including the notes. So even when my journey ends online I still have it on paper.
I've always been able to remember well enough in the past it wasn't necessary. Although it seems as time marches onward, that is not always the case. I've had competition logs on other sites in the past, but looking back years to what I was doing is much more useful than I had anticipated. So I decided that a steady log would be in order.
I try to include my feelings and thoughts about the workout or progress, but I have never kept a written log. I've mashed my hands up a few times, so my writing sucks and gets hard for me to read at times. I can only hope that this site doesn't disappear.
Bench day. I am back to sets of 5 again. Damn it's been a while since I have had a shirt on. I obviously ran the weight up a bit since I put the shirt on and it really took its toll on me. It took a lot of energy to do my three sets and I almost skipped the accessory work. This is how it all went down.
Warm up
stationary bike - 5 min
shoulder circles
bench
bar x 15
135 x 10
225 x 10
add long pause (~2 sec)
315 x 5
365 x 1
405 x 1
remove pause
add 54 super katana
add 2 board
500 x 5 x 3 sets
seated cable row
stack x 10 x 3
banded high rows
mini + monster mini x 10 x 3
No video tonight because I forgot the camera. It's probably for the best because I shaved my face yesterday and it is always startling how fat my face looks without a beard of some kind! Anyway, I was beat. I haven't handled over 450 in about 4 months and my triceps were pissed about doing 15 reps at 500. I think for the next two weeks I am going to keep the weight about the same as the boards and reps decrease and just try to get used to the shirt again. It was really rough going for the 2 board and that is a long way from touching. Anyone that has been in a shirt knows that the fight has just begun at that height. Right now it's a pretty big in the chest plate, but I have taken the arms in a bit, so they are still pretty tight with the weight gain over the past couple months. As I type this I realize I should have done some hammer curls. I will probably go down to the basement and do some. Nothing ground shaking, Probably will be a few sets of 10 with 45's.
Sunday is squat day. I decided for this mesocycle that I am going back to raw. Next one will be geared. I am hoping to ease the all out abuse on my body while I get back into the shirt. At least that is the intent. I'm back to 5's again and I chose a weight that I felt would be challenging to complete and I was right.
Warm up
stationary bike - 5 min
leg curls x 10 x 3
leg extension x 10 x 3
GHR bodyweight x 8 x 3
Squat
bar x 10
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 5
405 x 5
add belt
455 x 1
500 x 5 x 3 sets
I pulled one deadlift because my training partner was deadlifting and decided to pull one on my way by. My hamstrings were getting pretty angry at me, especially on my on my right side. In the video you can see me shifting to one side on some of the reps. Also, as each set wore on, I was getting out of good position and pitching forward a bit, which really slowed me down. Right now I'm going to assume it was partly, if not completely due to my hamstrings starting to give out. The amount of volume I am doing before I get to my work sets is a little much for the days that I am doing higher volume on my work sets. My goals for this cycle are a bit lofty, but I think might be attainable. I just wish my squat didn't suck so bad.
Holy hell my legs are sore. So I did what anyone should do when they need a recovery workout. I pulled my tire sled around the driveway a bunch. I believe it was 80ft forwards/80 ft backwards for five total rounds. Not too hard but it gets the blood moving and flushing out the toxins. Plus it keeps me from being lazy. Well, lazy(er).
I got my new bar! It's freaking awesome. It's a Texas deadlfit bar. It's one of the new ones with the black zinc oxide finish. Anyway, on to the work. I did my modified speed deadlift. Basically like the normal, but with 3 reps per set and fewer sets. This gets me a little bit more volume overall. Bar speed is still good. For no reason in particular, I decided not to use a belt. I used a double overhand grip on all sets and with the thinner bar, I didn't even feel like the bar was going to slip.
warm up
reverse hyper
bodyweight x 10 x 3
deadlift
bar x 10
250 x 10
250 + 90 chain x 3
250 + 120 chain x 3
add ~200 lbs band tension
250 + 120 chain x 3 x 2
270 + 120 chain x 3 x 2
300 + 120 chain x 3 x 2
My training partner was squatting, so I jumped in and did a set after my deadlifts. Chances are if you see a random set thrown in, it is likely because it was already set up and the whim struck me. For each main set of deadlifts, I alternated sumo and conventional stance for each set. Both stances seemed to move really well. Also, I love my new bar.
I benched tonight. There was a soccer game of some kind, so I didn't get to bench at the high school like I usually do. Instead I benched in my basement. I also didn't have Christopher to do my hand offs, but Tyler was there and he did a good job with them. My parents were in town, so they were there and I had my dad hold the board for me. All in all it went pretty well. I trimmed a little bit off the sleeve which helped them fit a lot better than last week.
warm up
waved my arms in circles a lot
monster mini press downs x 12
bench
bar x 15
135 x 10
250 x 10
add pause
340 x 5
really long pause
410 x 1
add 54 super katana (single-ply)
add 1 board
500 x 3 x 3
This workout moved along pretty damn fast and was done from start to finish in an hour. That may not sound fast, but it is. The conditioning work I have been doing is likely paying off. My weight is still cruising around 317. I am probably the only person that can start working out more and get heavier. Whatever. I'm getting stronger so I don't care. I'll let the weight classes fall where they may. I still need to work on bar placement. Watching the video, some of the reps would have definitely been too low to pass where I usually compete.