Gunnin' for 1100!!!

[rainman]

Nice work on the paused squats. I was dong a few of them a week or so back. I screwed up a max attempt at the gym and had the bar on the safety rack bit, took the plates down to 100KG, crawled under and got up from that. Surprisingly tough. I have a good mind on doing these every week.

[Deathride]

Yeah - they are a killer. The Anderson Squats you describe (from the bottom position up) are awesome - I've done 100k for about 3 and was knackered! I was doing them weekly but don't put them after max effort....

The pause squats are serving me two purposes - quad strength and improving my tightness which has always been a problem for me. How well they carry over we'll see. I certainly feel stronger for it and my unpaused squatting is interestingly more fluid!

[TigerAce01]

We're neck and neck on numbers brother, so here's to reaching our goals! I've contemplated this Cude method...but if 5/3/1 has given me consistent gains for 3 years, why would I stop now?

I love the Anderson and front squats added in...once I really programmed them, they gave my pull a huge lift.

-Ace

[Deathride]

Bench rep day (cycle 2 week 4)

Floor press with legs outstretched (no leg drive)
Warm up

66 * 10 / 110 * 10 / 155 * 6 / 200 * 3
225 for 8 / 7 / 7 / 7 (with 10 shrugs between each)

Floor Rack Lockouts (elbows start about 1 inch from the floor - set up like a floor press with no leg drive)
225 * 5 / 242 * 5 / 265 * 5 / 286 * 5 / 310 * 3

Hammer curls
80 * 10 four sets

And done. the floor rack lockout things were laziness on my part (didn't want to unload the weight and set up the dumbbells) so decided to hit the triceps hard. Have only ever hit 130k for 1 or 2 before so to hit it for 5 and then 140k for 2 is a big improvement. Was going to try 150k for a single but.....

Off to my third (and final) night shift. Tomorrow's recovery work will be chins and tricep extensions.

[Deathride]

Two days to report - lots of lifting and some aches and pains.......

Monday - bit of recovery
Triple squats up to 200lb and tricep extensions. Nothing exciting.
----------

Wednesday - Deadlift from 2 in blocks

330 for 6 triples. Short rest and no problems. Flew up :-)

Sumo deadlift from 2 in block
242 / 286 / 330 for 3 / 375 for 2

Snatch grip deadlifts from 2 in blocks
242 for 4 sets of 10

Manual resistance leg curls.

This seriously fried my back which hasn't been so tight for some time. Really foam rolled this morning before..........

---------------
Thursday - Bodybuilding.

A combination of the heavy pressing last weekend and the deadlifting has caused some aching in the shoulder joints. OHP was kept light and repped - will stretch mucho after this and rest up until Sunday before pressing / doing any upper body stuff again.

OHP
110 (50k) for 50 total reps

Calf raises
242 on barbell in squat position. Three sets to failure (20-30 reps)

Db press
44 for 15, then 70 rest paused - 16 / 5 / 3

Ezy preacher curl
80 for 4 sets to failure (last set rest paused once)

And done. I've been on leave this week so have rested well - am heading to a Lebanese restaurant this afternoon which means only one thing. An epic mixed grill will be mine. Protein od!

Laters bitches. Off to try and unknot my delts!

[Altered Beast]

When I hear a Brit say Laters, it reminds me of Snatch! Great film!

[Deathride]

A weekend to report

Cycle 2 week 5
Squat explosion

Paused squats
200 for 6 sets of 5

242 for 2 doubles

Front squats (5's)
180 / 190 / 190 / 190

Lunges with 45 plate
three sets of 20

Pullups

---------

Bench day (max)
Floor press
Warmed up
110 * 10 / 155 * 10 / 200 * 5 / 225 * 3 / 250 * 2 / 255 * 2 / 255 * 2

Wide grip bench (sets of 10)
180 / 200 / 210 / 225

Shrugs
200 * 20 / 242 * 20 / 290 * 10 * 2

Hammer curls
75lb db for 3 sets of 15

[Deathride]

Monday
Abs - six rounds of crunches vs side bends with 70lb db

Tricep extensions - many reps

-----

Wednesday
Deadlift from 2in block reps
Warmup

155 * 5 / 200 * 5 / 242 * 5 / 286 * 3 / 330 * 3 / 375 * 10 (!) and 8 and 2 (20 total)

Snatch grip deadlifts
242 for 3 sets of 10

Squats
110 / 155 / 200 / 225 for 5 sets of 5

And crunches (four sets to failure)

Check that - 170k for 10 dead stops! Estimated max of 226 (500lb!).....getting there!

[Deathride]

And so we power on through another week of the Cube. Unnoticed but determined, things are slowly getting better.

OHP
66 * 10 twice
110 * 10 twice
135 * 10 twice
160 * 2

then 110 to failure (15 or so reps)

Keg walk (this was just me cocking around really - two of my 10k plates have got rims on them. Place them outside two other plates on a dumbbell with a slight space between and voila! A makeshift adjustable keg.
125lb keg for two runs
155lb keg for two runs

Pullups
Three sets to failure (15 or so) with lat shrugs at the end to really exhaust my back

Ezy bar curls
80lb for four sets to failure

And I'm out. See you Saturday for some more squatting (a more neutral head position is feeling frankly amazing! Might take a break from my rep scheme and push things a little harder for a fixed number of reps (5 or 8). Who knows! See how I feel when I get there.

[Deathride]

Saturday squat day - stuck to plan!

Cube cycle 2 week 6
Paused squats with neutral head position
235 for 8/10/12 (didn't rep these out but focussed on my form and not pitching and rolling at any point - my knees still come in as I get higher in reps so.....)

Non-paused squats
255 for 2 / 286 for 2 (130k for an easy double. After the above volume, I was pleased with this - bodes well for future squatting endeavours!)

Wide stance squats - focussing on pushing hte knees out....sets of 5
155 / 180 / 200 / 225

Lunges with 45lb plate
Three sets

Abs (crunches vs side bends)
many reps

---------

Bench (explosive)

Floor press
200 for 6 sets of 3 (with 10 shrugs between)

Floor press Lockouts (am slowly raising myself towards the bar on these lockouts - added an 1.5in board (the pad off my bench which is detachable) and worked up. Will gradually be deadpressing from the chest, hopefully with the same weights I started out with!)
200 * 10 / 242 * 5 / 265 * 5 / 286 * 5 / 310 (miss) - too big a jump at the end. However, I still hit 130k for 5 which is a big improvement and one I hope to carry forward when we go up another 2in in a couple of weeks.

Bb rows
200 / 225 / 225 / 225 for sets of 10

Hammer curls
75 * 10 (three sets)

Pushups to failure

And out.

[Deathride]

Deadlift night (there will not be a bodybuilding week as I've got to start my next Cube week early)

Max - to make up for this, I changed doubles for triples :-)

Warmed up
110 * 10 / 155 * 5 / 200 * 5
242 / 286 / 330 / 375 for 2
420 for 3 triples. Boom.

Snatch grip
242 for 4 sets of 10

Pullups

Abs

Done. Starting with benchday on Friday and max squats on Saturday. Am on call Fri/Sat/Sun 8-8 days, then Mon-Fri 8-8 nights. This will suck balls. However, with some creative thinking, training will still occur!

[Riffmaster]

Subbed. You got this man.

[Altered Beast]

Dr. Death I hope you're making big money across the pond there! Dr.'s here make an absolute killing, maybe different now with ObamaCommiCare.

[Deathride]

Alas no, AB. Don't get me wrong, I make a more than tidy living - however, given the number of hours and the fact that I spend my days dealing with large needles, sick people and death (some people might find this stressful), its not as well-paid as some people make out. Certainly not on this side of hte Atlantic!

Out of interest, what do you think of my bench plan with the lockouts from gradually reducing height? Sound sensible or nonsense? Am only hitting them hard on lighter days of the Cube but really feel a big difference in my shoulders / triceps for it!

[Altered Beast]

Out of interest, what do you think of my bench plan with the lockouts from gradually reducing height? Sound sensible or nonsense? Am only hitting them hard on lighter days of the Cube but really feel a big difference in my shoulders / triceps for it!

I need the specifics.

[Deathride]

I need the specifics.

AB - I need strength from the bottom of hte press. My plan is to work into the Cube lockouts thus - from a floor press position with elbows one inch off the floor, perform a 5RM lockout (with a couple of extra singles if possible) on my light week. On the next light week, perform the same exercise but move myself closer to the bar and try to match the same lift. And so forth until I am hopefully benching hard from the chest like a ninja....

Sort of board pressing and working down but in a lockout way and working myself towards the bar. Is this sensible or is this retarded? I'm not doing it every week simply because of the shoulder stress and because the Cube reps are clearly important to get in!

[Deathride]

Cube cycle 2 week 7 (in a different order!)

Floor press Reps
Warmed up
110 * 10 / 155 * 10 / 180 * 5 / 200 * 5

232 (105k) for 20 - 9 / 6 / 5 (with 10 shrugs from the 200 set onwards)

Close grip bench
155 * 10 / 180 * 10 / 200 * 10 / 225 * 4

Flies with 5k weights just to get some blood moving - 1 50 rep set

Hammer curls
75lb db - 3 sets of 12-15

And done. Incredible chest pump from this little lot! Have a lot to thank the Cube for - people left and right keep asking what I'm doing because I look HOOOOOGE (as AB would say). All going well!

Tonight will be some form of maximum squatting (here's hoping for a quiet on call!)

[Deathride]

Squat - max paused squats

Warmed up
66 * 10 two sets / 110 * 10 two sets
155 * 5 / 180 * 3 / 200 * 3
225 / 232 / 265 / 275 / 286 / 300 for singles

Tried 310 but ran out of steam

Anderson squats
155 * 5 / 180 * 5 / 200 * 5 / 225 * 5 / 238 * 5

Db swings
75lb for sets of 20 (3 sets)

Things I need to do more of - ABS. HAMSTRINGS.

I am and always be not very good at squatting. I think I am pre-destined to be one of those guys who progresses much quicker at deadlifting and benching! Which is OK. But still slightly embarrassing...

[Altered Beast]

Give it time and your Squats will come along!

[Deathride]

Bodybuilding day (slightly out of order but whatever!)

OHP Push press (for variety)

66 * 10 / 90 * 10 / 110 * 8 / 135 * 5 / 155 * 5 / 165 * 2 / 175 * 2 / 187 * 1

85k boom.

135 * 10 strict press

Leg curls (on my hamstring improvement program!)

10k / 15k / 20k / 25k db for sets of 10 - 20 (getting a feel for how to load this up - getting hte dumbbell between your toes is tricky. However, these will feature muchly as assistance!)

Bb curls vs horizontal rows
100lb vs bodyweight - four sets