BW - 206
Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X3
Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X3
315X1
365X1
325X3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2
Chest-Supported Rows -
50X10
70X12
95X10, 10, 10
Single-Leg Curls - X15, 15, 10
Things are not going well on Deadlift. That 365X1 was the heaviest it's been in a loooong time. After this week, I'll be able to go back to Squatting and Deadlifting on different days, and also be able to do a little more DL specific accessory work, namely RDL's. I'll give that a few weeks to see if it gets things back on track.
Showing posts with label Rows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rows. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Reps and Volume. Week 3. Deadlift
BW - 197
Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
365X1
295X3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
RDL - 185X12, 12, 12
Chest-Supported Rows - 50X10, 9, 7
Single-Leg Curls -
35X20
45X20, 15
Good session. I decided I needed to up my volume on Deadlift work-sets. I realized I'd been working off of a goal of 365 instead of 405. So the goal here was 6X3 which I got, no problem. Now I have to decide whether to stay at this weight and up the reps per set, or move up in weight. I suspect I will move up, because I could have kept doing triple here a while longer.
Added 2 reps to all sets of RDL. This was hard freakin' work, though.
Chest-supported rows are so humbling. This weight was actually harder this week than last. Because of the increased Deadlift volume?
Still digging this plate-loaded hamstring machine at Quads.
Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
365X1
295X3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
RDL - 185X12, 12, 12
Chest-Supported Rows - 50X10, 9, 7
Single-Leg Curls -
35X20
45X20, 15
Good session. I decided I needed to up my volume on Deadlift work-sets. I realized I'd been working off of a goal of 365 instead of 405. So the goal here was 6X3 which I got, no problem. Now I have to decide whether to stay at this weight and up the reps per set, or move up in weight. I suspect I will move up, because I could have kept doing triple here a while longer.
Added 2 reps to all sets of RDL. This was hard freakin' work, though.
Chest-supported rows are so humbling. This weight was actually harder this week than last. Because of the increased Deadlift volume?
Still digging this plate-loaded hamstring machine at Quads.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
LRB 365: LRB Split. In Review
This will be short, as I suspect the LRB Split and the Strong-15 Short cycle go hand-in-hand in a way that will result in a more complete picture emerging at the end of that 2nd cycle.
Generally speaking, the goals for this cycle were to maintain top-end strength on the main lifts relative to where they've been during the conditioning cycle, while allowing some more carbs back into the diet in order to stimulate muscle growth by going hard with the assistance lifts.
My bodyweight started out hovering in the 192 range at the end of the conditioning cycles, and by the end of the LRB Split was hovering around 195-196.
I set the following PRs on assistance work in chronological order:
RDL:
205X8
225X9
245X10 (with straps)
DB OHP:
20sX25
25sX35
30sX28
Front Squats:
135X10
145X8
155X9
T-Bar Rows:
95X8
110X7
Barbell Rows:
145X9
Good Mornings were a new movement to me with this cycle and I progressed them as well:
135X8
145X7
145X8
145X10
Regarding Front Squats, I was doing them every week. They were the first assistance exercise following back squats on Heavy Squat days, and they were the main movement on Light Squat days. All the PRs were set on Light days, however it's worth noting that while I PR'd with 135X10 on a Light Squat day at the beginning of the cycle, by the end I was doing 135X8-10 for four sets across as assistance on my Heavy Squat days. In addition to all that, I kept my stance narrow on all the Leg Pressing, and went hard to push reps on leg extensions. Increasing quad size/strength was my primary goal for this cycle, and I feel good about the results.
I also got some good hamstring volume in with all the RDLs and GMs in addition to the maintenance Deads. Had sore hamstrings every week.
Lots of shoulder volume on the cycle as well. In addition to the DB OHP, my regular Press was getting within 5 lbs. or so of PR territory by the end. Lots of high-rep Inclines, Upright Rows, and Rear Delt Flyes to round it out, all pun intended. Although I honestly haven't noticed very much growth in my delts. Hopefully, we'll see some of this work translate into Bench strength on the upcoming cycle.
All in all, I had a really good time through most of this cycle. Hitting PRs on Fronts and RDLs was really fun, and seeing my wheels growing as a result was really great as well. Near the end, I had a little bit of a crisis of confidence because I didn't instinctively know if my Every Day Max had improved, and was grumpy about what to set as my goals for the Strong-15 Short Cycle. In the end, re-reading the manual, and reading an inspiring post by Carter along the lines of the Patience and Belief mantra that he and Brandon Lilly have been going over helped me get my head on straight. I've decided to program lower for the Strong-15 Short than I did for the Strong-15 at the beginning of the program. My final singles for the next cycle will be right around weights I've hit a million times before. With the work I did on this cycle, and the extra back-offs I'm planning for the first few weeks of the next, I'm confident that I will be crushing the weights all the way up to the end. And isn't that what we're supposed to do?
Generally speaking, the goals for this cycle were to maintain top-end strength on the main lifts relative to where they've been during the conditioning cycle, while allowing some more carbs back into the diet in order to stimulate muscle growth by going hard with the assistance lifts.
My bodyweight started out hovering in the 192 range at the end of the conditioning cycles, and by the end of the LRB Split was hovering around 195-196.
I set the following PRs on assistance work in chronological order:
RDL:
205X8
225X9
245X10 (with straps)
DB OHP:
20sX25
25sX35
30sX28
Front Squats:
135X10
145X8
155X9
T-Bar Rows:
95X8
110X7
Barbell Rows:
145X9
Good Mornings were a new movement to me with this cycle and I progressed them as well:
135X8
145X7
145X8
145X10
Regarding Front Squats, I was doing them every week. They were the first assistance exercise following back squats on Heavy Squat days, and they were the main movement on Light Squat days. All the PRs were set on Light days, however it's worth noting that while I PR'd with 135X10 on a Light Squat day at the beginning of the cycle, by the end I was doing 135X8-10 for four sets across as assistance on my Heavy Squat days. In addition to all that, I kept my stance narrow on all the Leg Pressing, and went hard to push reps on leg extensions. Increasing quad size/strength was my primary goal for this cycle, and I feel good about the results.
I also got some good hamstring volume in with all the RDLs and GMs in addition to the maintenance Deads. Had sore hamstrings every week.
Lots of shoulder volume on the cycle as well. In addition to the DB OHP, my regular Press was getting within 5 lbs. or so of PR territory by the end. Lots of high-rep Inclines, Upright Rows, and Rear Delt Flyes to round it out, all pun intended. Although I honestly haven't noticed very much growth in my delts. Hopefully, we'll see some of this work translate into Bench strength on the upcoming cycle.
All in all, I had a really good time through most of this cycle. Hitting PRs on Fronts and RDLs was really fun, and seeing my wheels growing as a result was really great as well. Near the end, I had a little bit of a crisis of confidence because I didn't instinctively know if my Every Day Max had improved, and was grumpy about what to set as my goals for the Strong-15 Short Cycle. In the end, re-reading the manual, and reading an inspiring post by Carter along the lines of the Patience and Belief mantra that he and Brandon Lilly have been going over helped me get my head on straight. I've decided to program lower for the Strong-15 Short than I did for the Strong-15 at the beginning of the program. My final singles for the next cycle will be right around weights I've hit a million times before. With the work I did on this cycle, and the extra back-offs I'm planning for the first few weeks of the next, I'm confident that I will be crushing the weights all the way up to the end. And isn't that what we're supposed to do?
Saturday, July 20, 2013
LRB 365: LRB Split. Week 6. Back - Heavy
BW - 198
Deadlift -
135X5, 5
155X5
185X4
225X3
245X2
275X1, 1
285X1
Barbell Rows -
95X8
135X8
145X8, 9, 7
Good Mornings -
95X8
135X8
145X10, 10, 8
DB Curls -
20sX20
25sX22, 13
Love deadlifting. These were all fast. Focused on form and visualization.
Was at the 'away' gym, so no T-Bars. Did BB Rows instead. Kept everything strict as hell, and with controlled reps.
145X10 is a PR on GMs.
No free barbells, and I hate curling EZ bars, so just did more DB curls.
This is was the last day of this split. Taking a couple days off, and jumping right into the Strong-15 Short Cycle. I'll probably try to review this cycle on Monday.
Deadlift -
135X5, 5
155X5
185X4
225X3
245X2
275X1, 1
285X1
Barbell Rows -
95X8
135X8
145X8, 9, 7
Good Mornings -
95X8
135X8
145X10, 10, 8
DB Curls -
20sX20
25sX22, 13
Love deadlifting. These were all fast. Focused on form and visualization.
Was at the 'away' gym, so no T-Bars. Did BB Rows instead. Kept everything strict as hell, and with controlled reps.
145X10 is a PR on GMs.
No free barbells, and I hate curling EZ bars, so just did more DB curls.
This is was the last day of this split. Taking a couple days off, and jumping right into the Strong-15 Short Cycle. I'll probably try to review this cycle on Monday.
Monday, August 20, 2012
5/3/1 Full-Body: Cycle 3. Week 1. Squat
LRB Diet - Day 26
BW - ?189?
Squats -
BarX10
95X7
135, 150X5
170X3
195X8
BB Rows -
BarX15
95X8
135X8
115X15
High-Pulls -
115, 135, 145, 155, 155, 155X5
Dips - BWX8, 12, 16, 4, 6
I was pressed for time getting ready to go out of town for the weekend, and had to settle for going to the L@Fitness (formerly B@llys) near my home. 189 seemed like such a drastic drop-off from my last weigh-in that I'm suspicious of the scale. However, when I set it down to Zero pounds, it counter-balanced correctly so who knows.
I need to be better about putting my head down and doing work when I'm in a strange gym; I always feel wound tight and get a little off my game wanting to get in and get out as fast as possible. For this session that was manifested by skipping mobility warm-ups and all my core work. I'll have to make up for all of that in spades next time I'm in the gym.
Nevertheless everything went pretty well. Squats felt solid, and the results are in-line with steady progress after I reset my form.
I couldnt' really do Pendlays here because I didn't have access to bumper plates at this gym. So BB Rows trying go keep my low-back parallel to the ground and using a brief dead hang at the bottom of each rep to try and simulate a dead-stop row as much as possible. The results were predictably slightly off from previous sessions.
For the 2nd month of LRB Dieting, I'm adding in some additional shoulder/trap work inspired by a CNP article. One of the reasons for choosing now to take my first ever stab at strict dieting, is because I'm going to a sort of weekend camping reunion of college friends at the end of September. While I'm trying to trim up, I thought I'd also take a stab at building some "movie star" shoulders. Kind of silly, but also fun. So for this day, I'm adding in High-Pulls, a movement I've never done, but always wanted to try. These are done incredibly NOT as a textbook version of the Olympic accessory, but more as an explosive, cheating upright row. One cool bit of synergy here, is that it seemed to work out very well to use the weight from the back-off set of bent rows as the warm-up weight for the high-pulls. I worked up to 155, where I was having to really use explosiveness and much face-scrunching to get the 5th rep, and knocked out 3 of those sets. I used straps on this movement as well. I really liked this movement, and my delts felt really sore the next day.
Dips were a bit wonky because this gym has a weird, trapezoidal dip apparatus. Again, getting past this sort of thing is something I need to be able to do. It's dumb to only be able to have good workouts in my regular gym. Regardless, my target was to ladder up to, and back down from 16 reps. I got that top set, but the back off sets were completely crap.
BW - ?189?
Squats -
BarX10
95X7
135, 150X5
170X3
195X8
BB Rows -
BarX15
95X8
135X8
115X15
High-Pulls -
115, 135, 145, 155, 155, 155X5
Dips - BWX8, 12, 16, 4, 6
I was pressed for time getting ready to go out of town for the weekend, and had to settle for going to the L@Fitness (formerly B@llys) near my home. 189 seemed like such a drastic drop-off from my last weigh-in that I'm suspicious of the scale. However, when I set it down to Zero pounds, it counter-balanced correctly so who knows.
I need to be better about putting my head down and doing work when I'm in a strange gym; I always feel wound tight and get a little off my game wanting to get in and get out as fast as possible. For this session that was manifested by skipping mobility warm-ups and all my core work. I'll have to make up for all of that in spades next time I'm in the gym.
Nevertheless everything went pretty well. Squats felt solid, and the results are in-line with steady progress after I reset my form.
I couldnt' really do Pendlays here because I didn't have access to bumper plates at this gym. So BB Rows trying go keep my low-back parallel to the ground and using a brief dead hang at the bottom of each rep to try and simulate a dead-stop row as much as possible. The results were predictably slightly off from previous sessions.
For the 2nd month of LRB Dieting, I'm adding in some additional shoulder/trap work inspired by a CNP article. One of the reasons for choosing now to take my first ever stab at strict dieting, is because I'm going to a sort of weekend camping reunion of college friends at the end of September. While I'm trying to trim up, I thought I'd also take a stab at building some "movie star" shoulders. Kind of silly, but also fun. So for this day, I'm adding in High-Pulls, a movement I've never done, but always wanted to try. These are done incredibly NOT as a textbook version of the Olympic accessory, but more as an explosive, cheating upright row. One cool bit of synergy here, is that it seemed to work out very well to use the weight from the back-off set of bent rows as the warm-up weight for the high-pulls. I worked up to 155, where I was having to really use explosiveness and much face-scrunching to get the 5th rep, and knocked out 3 of those sets. I used straps on this movement as well. I really liked this movement, and my delts felt really sore the next day.
Dips were a bit wonky because this gym has a weird, trapezoidal dip apparatus. Again, getting past this sort of thing is something I need to be able to do. It's dumb to only be able to have good workouts in my regular gym. Regardless, my target was to ladder up to, and back down from 16 reps. I got that top set, but the back off sets were completely crap.
Monday, March 5, 2012
UB: Conditioning Week 1. Bench
Defranco Shoulder Mobility
Bench -
BarX15
95X5
135X2
155X2
170X2X3
OH Extensions - 45X20
Bent Rows - 95X15, 8
BB Curls - 35X15, BarX20X2
Reverse Crunches - X20, 10
Treadmill - 12 minutes, 4.1 speed (2 minutes longer, one point faster than previous block)
This weekend was hell to start the conditioning block on. Between work and rehearsals I only have Friday night through Sunday day free to train, and this weekend I had auditions on Saturday afternoon that I had to prepare for on Friday night, and cooked and competed in a chili cook-off on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon respectively. Thus the treadmill.
Good bench session. These sets of 2 at 85% are more challenging than I expected, but totally do-able. Kind of cool actually. I can see why guys like Jamie Lewis like doing lots of sets of heavy triples, doubles, singles. It'll be interesting to see if these get harder, easier, or one then the other as this block progresses.
Bench -
BarX15
95X5
135X2
155X2
170X2X3
OH Extensions - 45X20
Bent Rows - 95X15, 8
BB Curls - 35X15, BarX20X2
Reverse Crunches - X20, 10
Treadmill - 12 minutes, 4.1 speed (2 minutes longer, one point faster than previous block)
This weekend was hell to start the conditioning block on. Between work and rehearsals I only have Friday night through Sunday day free to train, and this weekend I had auditions on Saturday afternoon that I had to prepare for on Friday night, and cooked and competed in a chili cook-off on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon respectively. Thus the treadmill.
Good bench session. These sets of 2 at 85% are more challenging than I expected, but totally do-able. Kind of cool actually. I can see why guys like Jamie Lewis like doing lots of sets of heavy triples, doubles, singles. It'll be interesting to see if these get harder, easier, or one then the other as this block progresses.
Friday, February 24, 2012
UB: Strong Week 6. Bench
Defranco Shoulder Mobility
Bench -
BarX20
95X5
135X5
155X5
165X5
175X4 (fail on 5)
DB Bench - 65'sX10, 5
Cable Rows, Medium-width, neutral grip - X15, 12, 8
Reverse Hyper - 100X12X3
This was the final bench session of this strength phase. So what did I decide to do? Start close-gripping! Ha. This was on Paul Carter's advice that there's no better time than right now to switch to close grip and start saving my shoulder. And lookee: I only missed my target for this cycle by one rep! That could mean that I was too conservative with my target originally, but whatever. Bench PR. Killed two birds with one stone.
Bench -
BarX20
95X5
135X5
155X5
165X5
175X4 (fail on 5)
DB Bench - 65'sX10, 5
Cable Rows, Medium-width, neutral grip - X15, 12, 8
Reverse Hyper - 100X12X3
This was the final bench session of this strength phase. So what did I decide to do? Start close-gripping! Ha. This was on Paul Carter's advice that there's no better time than right now to switch to close grip and start saving my shoulder. And lookee: I only missed my target for this cycle by one rep! That could mean that I was too conservative with my target originally, but whatever. Bench PR. Killed two birds with one stone.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
UB: Strong Week 6. Deadlift
Defranco Mobility
Calf Raises - 245X15, 285X15, 325X15
Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
255X5
285X5
GHR - BWX10, 12, 10
Pulldowns (slow eccentric) - 70X15, 10, 8, 6
Standing Cable Crunches - 50X20, 70X15, 80X15
Walk home - 20 minutes.
Last day of Deadlifts on this cycle and I pulled another PR! That's about 30lbs. added to my deadlift on this cycle. That's awesome. I didn't even have to gut out any reps, though I did have to take a couple of deep breathes between sets 3 and 4.
My mid-back strain was really acting up today though. My new guess is that the pulling has been generating this strain. If that's true, I believe that points to the lack of rowing I've been doing. There was no rowing at all in this cycle, so while I was working my pull and bringing up my lats and traps, my rhomboids fell back and have had trouble doing their part at the end of the line. This is good. I've been feeling for awhile that I was neglecting the row in favor of building my chinning strength. This is the final confirmation I need to push chins to the back-burner and bring rows forward.
Calf Raises - 245X15, 285X15, 325X15
Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
255X5
285X5
GHR - BWX10, 12, 10
Pulldowns (slow eccentric) - 70X15, 10, 8, 6
Standing Cable Crunches - 50X20, 70X15, 80X15
Walk home - 20 minutes.
Last day of Deadlifts on this cycle and I pulled another PR! That's about 30lbs. added to my deadlift on this cycle. That's awesome. I didn't even have to gut out any reps, though I did have to take a couple of deep breathes between sets 3 and 4.
My mid-back strain was really acting up today though. My new guess is that the pulling has been generating this strain. If that's true, I believe that points to the lack of rowing I've been doing. There was no rowing at all in this cycle, so while I was working my pull and bringing up my lats and traps, my rhomboids fell back and have had trouble doing their part at the end of the line. This is good. I've been feeling for awhile that I was neglecting the row in favor of building my chinning strength. This is the final confirmation I need to push chins to the back-burner and bring rows forward.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
UB: Strong Week 5. Deadlift
Defranco Mobility
Standing Calf Raises (slow-eccentric; paused at bottom) - 305X15X3
Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
255X5
275X5
Power Shrugs - 365X12, 7
Chin-ups - Gym BW 212X10, 5
Cable Crunch - 100X11, 12 (kneeling); 100X8 (standing)
Treadmill - 10 minutes jogging
I started reading some Lyle McDonald stuff, and his post about calf-training really jumped out as relevant to what I'm doing right now. I was bouncing out of the bottom, so I tried it today exploding up, squeezing at the top, taking a slow eccentric and pausing at the bottom. Much, much harder. I don't have the promised "can't walk the next day" thing going on, but I guess I didn't do the full routine. The one thing I don't like is that I pretty much have to take a breath at every pause, and I don't like the way it feels losing tightness with my spine loaded like that. It's a machine though, so I'm not too worried.
I was a little nervous coming in to set a 10 lb. PR on the deads today. Similar to my last squat session, I scrapped the programmed weight increases for the initial sets in favor of lowering overall volume and saving everything for the top set. Also this knotting I have in my mid-back started acting up for the first time doing deadlifts. Not during the lift thankfully, but really angry after each set. I gave myself plenty of rest between the top sets, and everything went pretty well. Every successive set left me feeling more and more confident for the following set. After I got the 275 I was grinning like crazy, and I don't think I've ever done that after a lift before. Maybe the first time I got 10 chin-ups last fall. I almost wanted to throw some more weight on and go again, but I'm trying to show some restraint as I'm scheduled to add another 10lbs. next week to complete the cycle.
Standing Calf Raises (slow-eccentric; paused at bottom) - 305X15X3
Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
255X5
275X5
Power Shrugs - 365X12, 7
Chin-ups - Gym BW 212X10, 5
Cable Crunch - 100X11, 12 (kneeling); 100X8 (standing)
Treadmill - 10 minutes jogging
I started reading some Lyle McDonald stuff, and his post about calf-training really jumped out as relevant to what I'm doing right now. I was bouncing out of the bottom, so I tried it today exploding up, squeezing at the top, taking a slow eccentric and pausing at the bottom. Much, much harder. I don't have the promised "can't walk the next day" thing going on, but I guess I didn't do the full routine. The one thing I don't like is that I pretty much have to take a breath at every pause, and I don't like the way it feels losing tightness with my spine loaded like that. It's a machine though, so I'm not too worried.
I was a little nervous coming in to set a 10 lb. PR on the deads today. Similar to my last squat session, I scrapped the programmed weight increases for the initial sets in favor of lowering overall volume and saving everything for the top set. Also this knotting I have in my mid-back started acting up for the first time doing deadlifts. Not during the lift thankfully, but really angry after each set. I gave myself plenty of rest between the top sets, and everything went pretty well. Every successive set left me feeling more and more confident for the following set. After I got the 275 I was grinning like crazy, and I don't think I've ever done that after a lift before. Maybe the first time I got 10 chin-ups last fall. I almost wanted to throw some more weight on and go again, but I'm trying to show some restraint as I'm scheduled to add another 10lbs. next week to complete the cycle.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
5/3/1 Log: Cycle 3. Week 3. Press and Deadlift
Defranco Stretches and Mobility work
Press-
BarX10
70X5
95X5
105X3
120X3 (failed on 4)
Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
250X3
280X3
super-set with
Hanging Leg-Raise - BWX5X3
Bench Dips - BW(206)X15, 15, 20
BB Split Squat - BarX8, 10, 8
super-set with
Hammer Curls - 25'sX15, 15, 10
Hammer and Tire - 2 rounds of 40 swings
Felt like crap this day. Though I was hung over, but it turned out I was sick as I popped a fever later that night. Originally wanted to go for 5 on my top set of Presses to close out this round of 5/3/1 with a PR, but I knew I felt weak so I went for 4 and failed. It happens. 3 was still a Rep PR.
Deadlift was a little better, but I was only going for a small rep PR which I got. Actually 2 would have been a Rep PR, so this might have been my best lift of the day.
Press-
BarX10
70X5
95X5
105X3
120X3 (failed on 4)
Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
250X3
280X3
super-set with
Hanging Leg-Raise - BWX5X3
Bench Dips - BW(206)X15, 15, 20
BB Split Squat - BarX8, 10, 8
super-set with
Hammer Curls - 25'sX15, 15, 10
Hammer and Tire - 2 rounds of 40 swings
Felt like crap this day. Though I was hung over, but it turned out I was sick as I popped a fever later that night. Originally wanted to go for 5 on my top set of Presses to close out this round of 5/3/1 with a PR, but I knew I felt weak so I went for 4 and failed. It happens. 3 was still a Rep PR.
Deadlift was a little better, but I was only going for a small rep PR which I got. Actually 2 would have been a Rep PR, so this might have been my best lift of the day.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
5/3/1 Log: Cycle 2. Week 2. Bench
Defranco's Simple-6
Bench -
BarX10
95X5
120X3
140X3
160X5
Dips - BWX10X3
super-set with
T-Bar Rows, no support - 90X5, 70X10, 10
Face-Pulls - 3 sets of 15-20
Push-ups - 10,10,10,8,5
I've decided to pull back on the bench for a few weeks, and focus on Dips, rows, and push-ups. That's why I decided to only get 5 on 160. 7 would have been a rep PR, and would have projected an increased 1RM. It was hard not to go for it, but I just kept reminding myself to leave something in the tank for Dips.
Bench -
BarX10
95X5
120X3
140X3
160X5
Dips - BWX10X3
super-set with
T-Bar Rows, no support - 90X5, 70X10, 10
Face-Pulls - 3 sets of 15-20
Push-ups - 10,10,10,8,5
I've decided to pull back on the bench for a few weeks, and focus on Dips, rows, and push-ups. That's why I decided to only get 5 on 160. 7 would have been a rep PR, and would have projected an increased 1RM. It was hard not to go for it, but I just kept reminding myself to leave something in the tank for Dips.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
5/3/1 Log: Cycle 2. Week 2. Pressing
Defranco's Simple-6
Press -
BarX10
65X5
85X3
95X3
110X7
super-set with
Chin-ups - BWX7, 7, 5, 7, 6
BB Overhead Extensions - 65X8, 8, 6
Hammer and Tire - 5 sets of 40 (switching grip every 20 reps); 10 minutes
110X7 is a Rep PR, and a minor increase to my projected 1RM. I wasn't even planning on going for that today, but it just kind of happened. Although, the last rep was a grinder. I lost some tightness trying to grind through the sticking point (right above my head), and took a step forward. I didn't stop the press though, and managed to press it out. I try to play things by ear, but I may just get in the reps, or go for a minor rep PR on Bench this week since I went all out on the Press.
Press -
BarX10
65X5
85X3
95X3
110X7
super-set with
Chin-ups - BWX7, 7, 5, 7, 6
BB Overhead Extensions - 65X8, 8, 6
Hammer and Tire - 5 sets of 40 (switching grip every 20 reps); 10 minutes
110X7 is a Rep PR, and a minor increase to my projected 1RM. I wasn't even planning on going for that today, but it just kind of happened. Although, the last rep was a grinder. I lost some tightness trying to grind through the sticking point (right above my head), and took a step forward. I didn't stop the press though, and managed to press it out. I try to play things by ear, but I may just get in the reps, or go for a minor rep PR on Bench this week since I went all out on the Press.
Monday, August 15, 2011
BLAB Log: Week 4.Day 1
Simple-6
BB Bench Warm-up - BarX10, 65X10, 95X8, 115X5, 135X3
BB Bench - 125X5, 130X3, 145X6
Incline DB Bench - 45'sX25, 45'sX16
One-Arm DB Row - 70X8, 70X8, 75X8, 75X8
super-set with
Rope Push-downs - 40X8X4
BB Shrug - 155X8, 160X8, 165X8
super-set with
Incline DB Rear-Delt Raise - 50X8X3
Barbell Complex (DL, Bent Row, Hang Clean, Push Press, Back Squat) - 65X10, 45X10X3
Ha, I wasn't paying attention to my programmed work-set weights for the bench and over-shot that weight with my warm-ups. Just shows I'm getting stronger in the bench, hopefully. The 145X6 projects as a PR according to Jefit. My previous best when I was at B@lly and working with suspect weights was 155X2, so I think it's true. However, I really think my form is getting more locked in, and that is likely playing a large part as well.
Speaking of that, the heavy lifters were working in the gym today, and I got to watch them bench at the same time as me and compare our set-ups. These guys are doing the full PL form where they set-up with their heads way behind the bar, plant the balls of their feet there, and then pull everything else in front of the bar. Extreme arch so that only the traps and head are on the bench, and their heels are way off the ground. For myself, I put my eyes right behind the bar, pull my feet back as far as I can without my heel rising off the ground, then I pull myself forward so that my eyes are just in front of the bar. My heels come off the ground a little, but I manage to keep my butt on the bench. I then push on the up-rights to make sure my shoulders are tight together and making a nice solid surface with my traps for me to press against. I grab the bar with my middle-finger on the rings, squeeze and "pull the bar apart," take a lot of air into my belly, and take the bar out. If it's a work-set, I will pause at the top and take new air into my belly before taking the press. I let the bar come down in a natural path (about to my diaphragm), then I focus on pressing it back up in the same groove. I also focus on keeping my elbows tucked coming in and out of the bottom of the press, but letting them flare at lock-out. This is feeling pretty good for now, and I'm hitting PR's. I don't know if it is going to be stable enough as the weight keeps increasing though. Looseness was one of my big problems at B@lly. The bar swaying side-to-side as it came out of the rack, etc.
Figuring out this form has been a bit nerve-racking. The fact seems to be that there are many ways to interpret what constitutes strong in the bench. So much of the stuff I read is geared towards power-lifting, which emphasizes that big arch that helps hit big numbers at meets. But I'm not going to do PL meets. Then when I read Rippetoe, he has you starting with the head and shoulders in final position in front of the bar, feet flat and shins at 90 degrees, and with just enough arch that a flat hand can slide between the back and the bench. He also has trainees keep the elbows out at about 60 degrees during the press. So PL form de-emphasizes the chest, and puts more of the weight on the triceps and the lats, which helps to move more weight. Rippetoe's method uses more chest and shoulders. I asked Paul Carter about form, and he said I'd have to figure it out for myself, and I guess that's what I'm doing. To clarify, my goal is this: Use the Bench Press to Get Stronger. This doesn't mean I'm trying to build up my chest, but it I'm not sure it means that I need to build the biggest bench possible which would involve the PL-style extreme arch. So for now, I'm settling on this hybrid with maximum arch while keeping the butt on the bench and feet almost flat. As the weight goes up I'll just have to make adjustments as necessary.
Back to the session, all the assistance stuff went great. If the one-armed DB rows, continue to have higher numbers than cable rows and/or pull-downs, I'm gonna want to know what that's about. Am I being a wimp on the cable stuff, or just cheating more with the DB? Probably the latter, as I don't think I've ever heard of anybody being more tentative on machines. Whatever. Right now it's just fun to be increasingly rowing weights from the fat end of the rack.
I should mention that I was totally out of gas for the BB complexes. I think it was probably a combination of only having a shake that day prior to training, and having house-guests/staying up late the night before. I started with the same weight as last time, but almost couldn't finish the set. The cleans are always a momentum killer for me on these, but this time I just didn't have any reserves. I was facing a mirror and my eyes literally went wide with surprise and concern on the first clean. Pretty funny. I pulled all the weight off after the first set, and barely managed to get through the rest of the sets/reps. Hey, dummy, eat and sleep! Tip o' the hat to you , Joe Defranco. These finishers are definitely exposing all kinds of holes in my training.
BB Bench Warm-up - BarX10, 65X10, 95X8, 115X5, 135X3
BB Bench - 125X5, 130X3, 145X6
Incline DB Bench - 45'sX25, 45'sX16
One-Arm DB Row - 70X8, 70X8, 75X8, 75X8
super-set with
Rope Push-downs - 40X8X4
BB Shrug - 155X8, 160X8, 165X8
super-set with
Incline DB Rear-Delt Raise - 50X8X3
Barbell Complex (DL, Bent Row, Hang Clean, Push Press, Back Squat) - 65X10, 45X10X3
Ha, I wasn't paying attention to my programmed work-set weights for the bench and over-shot that weight with my warm-ups. Just shows I'm getting stronger in the bench, hopefully. The 145X6 projects as a PR according to Jefit. My previous best when I was at B@lly and working with suspect weights was 155X2, so I think it's true. However, I really think my form is getting more locked in, and that is likely playing a large part as well.
Speaking of that, the heavy lifters were working in the gym today, and I got to watch them bench at the same time as me and compare our set-ups. These guys are doing the full PL form where they set-up with their heads way behind the bar, plant the balls of their feet there, and then pull everything else in front of the bar. Extreme arch so that only the traps and head are on the bench, and their heels are way off the ground. For myself, I put my eyes right behind the bar, pull my feet back as far as I can without my heel rising off the ground, then I pull myself forward so that my eyes are just in front of the bar. My heels come off the ground a little, but I manage to keep my butt on the bench. I then push on the up-rights to make sure my shoulders are tight together and making a nice solid surface with my traps for me to press against. I grab the bar with my middle-finger on the rings, squeeze and "pull the bar apart," take a lot of air into my belly, and take the bar out. If it's a work-set, I will pause at the top and take new air into my belly before taking the press. I let the bar come down in a natural path (about to my diaphragm), then I focus on pressing it back up in the same groove. I also focus on keeping my elbows tucked coming in and out of the bottom of the press, but letting them flare at lock-out. This is feeling pretty good for now, and I'm hitting PR's. I don't know if it is going to be stable enough as the weight keeps increasing though. Looseness was one of my big problems at B@lly. The bar swaying side-to-side as it came out of the rack, etc.
Figuring out this form has been a bit nerve-racking. The fact seems to be that there are many ways to interpret what constitutes strong in the bench. So much of the stuff I read is geared towards power-lifting, which emphasizes that big arch that helps hit big numbers at meets. But I'm not going to do PL meets. Then when I read Rippetoe, he has you starting with the head and shoulders in final position in front of the bar, feet flat and shins at 90 degrees, and with just enough arch that a flat hand can slide between the back and the bench. He also has trainees keep the elbows out at about 60 degrees during the press. So PL form de-emphasizes the chest, and puts more of the weight on the triceps and the lats, which helps to move more weight. Rippetoe's method uses more chest and shoulders. I asked Paul Carter about form, and he said I'd have to figure it out for myself, and I guess that's what I'm doing. To clarify, my goal is this: Use the Bench Press to Get Stronger. This doesn't mean I'm trying to build up my chest, but it I'm not sure it means that I need to build the biggest bench possible which would involve the PL-style extreme arch. So for now, I'm settling on this hybrid with maximum arch while keeping the butt on the bench and feet almost flat. As the weight goes up I'll just have to make adjustments as necessary.
Back to the session, all the assistance stuff went great. If the one-armed DB rows, continue to have higher numbers than cable rows and/or pull-downs, I'm gonna want to know what that's about. Am I being a wimp on the cable stuff, or just cheating more with the DB? Probably the latter, as I don't think I've ever heard of anybody being more tentative on machines. Whatever. Right now it's just fun to be increasingly rowing weights from the fat end of the rack.
I should mention that I was totally out of gas for the BB complexes. I think it was probably a combination of only having a shake that day prior to training, and having house-guests/staying up late the night before. I started with the same weight as last time, but almost couldn't finish the set. The cleans are always a momentum killer for me on these, but this time I just didn't have any reserves. I was facing a mirror and my eyes literally went wide with surprise and concern on the first clean. Pretty funny. I pulled all the weight off after the first set, and barely managed to get through the rest of the sets/reps. Hey, dummy, eat and sleep! Tip o' the hat to you , Joe Defranco. These finishers are definitely exposing all kinds of holes in my training.
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