Now that my lingering forearm pain has receded, I want to go back to alternating DL grip on worksets. Use the "weaker" / less recently used grip on the set with 345 and had grip issues, so only made a small jump on the following set.
Two PRs on Pause Squats now that the knee sleeves are in play. These sets took longer because of pulling sleeves off and on before starting rest timers. Made the session take longer than expected, and I rushed the setup on GHR, and had to skip CS Rows to make it to a dinner reservation.
First time DLing in a couple of months because of schedule and forearm pain. I supinated grip only on the arm with the forearm issues, and on all reps including warm-ups, and didn't really have any pain issues during or since.
*grip on the supinated hand was giving out on the top set ahead of everything else. Possibly just a detraining thing, or possibly my previous practicing of alternating my mixed grip on every set was somehow less stressful on each hand than keeping one supinated on every set.
Triceps are sore as hell 36 hours later like they always are when I do DB Triceps Pullovers for the first time in a while.
I don't think I've ever actually pulled Sumo mixed-grip before. Supinated hand swung way out on the top set.
Back-off sets were harder than I expected at this weight. Felt like my eye was gonna pop out.
Because of the Sumo, etc. decided to not do any hip extension on the "Hipper" super-sets. I did mess around with trying to keep my knees bent back throughout the knee raises with the idea of keeping the RF more lengthened.
400 is a weight PR on Deadlift, and obviously a Rep PR. Nice. Felt easier than I expected, but not as easy as it looks on the video. There was some "meet day" mental focus that contributed to this lift, as there always is for a milestone. Target for next week will be 4 plates (maybe more). So we'll do it all over again, then.
Back-off sets also all felt very good, although this is a new-ish bar and the heavy knurling on TnG deadlift is brutal on the hands. I add a ton of extra chalk just to try and mitigate it.
Pause Squats felt very good. I probably could have added a touch more weight, but 275 is just nice.
Axle bench was a little tough because I still have some DOMS in my pec from the previous session. Made the first couple of works sets a little tough, but was solid by the end.
Added straps for the tempo DL. Did mixed grip on the last warm-up, and played around with breathing at the top vs. breathing at the bottom, but it was clear grip was going to drive up the RPE, and that wasn't the point of this movement.
Added a set of DL to my upcoming developmental block, so I also added a set of the single-leg DL accessory here just to keep total volume in line. Crazy low back pump after doing these.
Tempo bench took a big jump. Hopefully a sign of residual fatigue falling away.
Conversely, I had a hard time dialing in JM Press and then the bottom fell out on it.
Tempo DL was even harder than I expected. Thought the weight would be light enough that I could go double-overhand, but had to switch to mixed grip and that still ended up being a challenge. In this case, 5-3-0 means a 3 second pause right off the ground, and a 5 second eccentric.
Haven't done these single-leg elevated hip thrusts since back my DeFranco training days. Still feels like it could be a useful movement in this context.
Nothing really to note about anything else. Video is just of DL, Bench, and JMs.
Squats and Bench on Day 5.2 both went really well. Deadlift gassed me out pretty fast, and had to drop 10% for the third set.
Attended the Chicago Strength Symposium at my gym all day on Sunday. A lot of great presenters providing a lot of good info.
Got some DL instruction from Hani Jazayrli and Megan Rori Alter. Hani gave me some advice on mixed-grip placement to keep the bar from rotating away from me on the supinated side, and Rori noticed I had one bloodied shin, and spent some time working with me on set-up before the pull to get my hips and chest in a better starting position. Ended up going much heavier than I have in months, but it was fine. No adductor, quad, or back pain issues.
Then I decided to start my workout. Ended up getting a squat check from Bryce Lewis ("Looks good.") and having a great conversation with him about when to worry about technique and when not to, the value of peaking, and a few other topics. Friendly talk. After squats, I felt a bit "done," and decided to do the rest of the workout on the following day (this evening).
Bench-Grip Press (dead-stop on chest) - 95X5, 5 @8
Bench-Grip Deadlift -
245X8, 8 @~7.5
255X7 @8.5
Rope Cable Curls - X9, 8 (straight-weight)
More improved pivot work. Broke a little further out of the mold on this day by using no comp. movements. Also didn't bother getting video of anything but the BGDL. Wish I'd gotten video of the BG Press, though. Those felt good.
Squatting still difficult because of quad pain. A little better on belt squat, but obviously much lower intensity.
I used to do a fair amount of PBN, but I tried doing these as dead stops on my traps, and they felt like crap. May try them again in the future with a floating rack above the shoulders.
A year or so ago, one of the strongest guys in the gym had mentioned that he got more carryover from the press to his bench if he moved the grip out and allowed the bar to sit fully on his chest. I've had that in the back of my mind ever since. I rolled it out today, and once I found a good grip position they felt great. Feels very stable, especially with a belt on. The lift kind of starts with the hips pushed forward already to allow the bar to sit on the chest. This makes it virtually impossible to use hip drive, and thus makes the movement much "stricter."
Decided to do a wider grip DL and only use double-overhand. SGDL has always made me a bit nervous as far as technique breakdown under fatigue, but bench-grip has always felt comfortable to me. Decided to do this of high single-digit reps. The capped it with some rando-curls.
290X5 is a Rep PR on SSB. Last set "felt" @ 8.5, bar speed is @ ~7.
Press top set felt @ 10, looks @8.5. Not sure what to think about that. Doesn't seem like fatigue. The warm-up sets were harder than I would have liked as well.
Last back-off felt @7, looks @7.
Deadlift top-set felt @ 7 for overall strength, but @ 8 for grip. Bar speed looks @ ~7. Gonna drop straps for all sets of rows, and see if that's enough of a kick in the butt for grip to keep pace. I won't drap straps for heavy RDLs because they go to shit double-overhand for me.
Was again nervous about the top set of Squats. 20 lbs. heavier than last week, and the heaviest weight since rehabbing my adductor. And once again, the weight was pretty easy, an the adductor feels fine. Unfortunately, the first set was above parallel. Wah-wah. I deliberated about what to do, and ultimately took it again. Better depth, but still borderline. Decided to take it and try to do better in the future. Originally, the program was to do a single and 5X5 back-off. Since I took an extra single, I decided to only do 4X5 to keep the volume "slots" as programmed. Both singles, and last back-off shown.
After last week's Inclines, I was pretty sure I 4X5 @ +10 lbs. wasn't going to be great. I was prepared to be surprised, but I could tell from the first couple of reps that I needed to cut to 3 reps if wanted to get all of the volume in without a lot of @9+ RPE sets. Totally at peace with that decision. I've decided to incorporate that into the program going forward for the last week of each 3 week Bench wave. I really want the Incline weight to be the same as the back-off weight on heavy Bench day for the psychological benefits of having handled the weight already on the "harder" movement, so that it may "feel" light on the main movement. Last set shown.
I was running out of time, and my right wrist has been bothering me, so I decided to skip Chin-Ups. They can sometimes aggravate my wrists, and I'd like those joints to be fresh for alternate grip DL later in the week.
Week 1 of a new 3-week DL wave, so intensity drops down on BB Rows, but I upped the reps to 7 per set. These did take a little more "leg" to complete all the reps in the sets, but I kept pretty good torso position and the bar touched in the same area (just above the belt) on all reps. Gym was crowded, and so I couldn't get video where I was working.
Pull-Downs (supinated) X10, 10, 8 (straight-weight; +~5 lbs. from last time)
Hammer Curls -
40sX5
30sX8, 8
Starr Rehab squats continue for the adductor. These are now at the point where they are giving me a very intense low back pump that's making completing sets with perfect form very difficult. Believe I will go ahead and drop to sets of 15 for a few sessions. Adductor still only feels "okay."
235X3 ties my previous 3 rep PR on bench, and I got it for 3 sets, so that's nice. 1st reps were strong on all sets. Last reps on set two and three were "have to do everything right" reps.
Pull-Ups were just okay.
RDLs were fine. Tried to go double-overhand, but bar was starting to slip on the first set, and so I had to go mixed grip for the 2nd set. I took these out of the rack instead off of the floor. Not sure which I like better. Out of the rack is easier on the sore adductor, but is awkward walking in and out.
Upped weight on pull-downs and the sets went pretty well. Will try this weight again next time and see if I can get 10+ on all three sets.
Hammer Curls have dropped off a cliff the last few sessions. Reps are literally going down every session. So when I could only get 5 reps on the first set this time, I resolved to back off and add a set. We'll try that again next time. I'm sure this is mostly due to additional fatigue being present earlier in the session: 1) specific fatigue from the increase in pull-up volume and pull-down intensity, and 2) general fatigue from the Starr Rehab squats and addition of the RDLs.
Pull-Downs (supinated) - X10, 10, 10 (straight-weight; +5 "lbs." from last time)
Hammer Curls - 35sX10, 8
Had an MRI on my hips today and dropped the file off with my P.T. Will see him on Friday to get the scoop.
Press felt really good today. Even though this is 8 lbs. off my best 3X5, this still surprised me. This lift had felt like shit for a while. We'll see how it goes. My current theory is a combination of factors went into this: 1) Not Squatting and Deadlifting for the last week has reduced overall fatigue, 2a) Pulling back on Bench and Press weights AND volume has also reduced overall fatigue, and 2b) has allowed for a little bit of "peaking." Basically, I'm doing a little less and so am not as sore and tired, and so my lifts may be temporarily spiking. Again, just a theory for now.
Also, Pull-Ups blasted off today. Last session (which was my first time doing pronated pull-ups in 6 YEARS), they were really rough out of the gate, and getting 3 was a grind. I grabbed the bar today expecting only 3-4. 3 was smooth, then 4 went up pretty well, and then I did a slow but certain 5th. Felt so good, I was tempted to get some extra sets/reps, but I stuck to the plan and just increased by 1 rep over last session. I expect this quick improvement is mostly neurological as I re-familiarize myself with the movement.
Pull-Downs and Hammer Curls were fine. Discomfort in my left hand is still present even in the pronated pull-down. Also hoping this will benefit from the break from DL.
Missed Intensity Day for the 2nd week in a row. Decided that I'll just repeat everything from last week and shoot for those I.D. lifts this Friday. Sets with 365 on Squat did feel stronger this week than last, and that was a good feeling. Butt shot back at the bottom of the last rep of the last set, shown.
I did up the weight a bit on bench. I'd done 202.5 for two Bench V.D.'s in a row, and they were fast last week. 205 felt good this week. Last set shown.
Was pretty gassed by the time I got to DL. Maybe just conditioning falling off a bit from the erratic schedule the last 3 weeks. Went with my "off" hand supinated for the last warm-up, and first work set. Then switched to my "regular" supinated hand for the last set. Worked in that the set felt better than the previous sets. That hand still has a strained feeling after going supinated on DL. Hoping that will go away soon. Last set shown.
365 for 3 sets of 5 ties my LP PR for Squat. First two sets of squats were pretty hard, but something clicked for the last set, and it was the best of them. I will say, that after my illness lay-off last week, and even though I got in last Friday and had a sort of day of "ramping back up," my legs are pretty damn sore today. That's exactly what I was hoping Friday would mitigate, but we'll just have to see if it gives me trouble the rest of the week. Last set shown.
Bench moved very, very well. Didn't even feel the need for a lift-off/spot on the last set (shown).
Deadlift was also solid. Nice and fast as this weight has been for the last 5 weeks I've had it as my work weight on Volume Day. I've got one more week with 315, before it starts to go up. Left-hand still feeling sore when I use it for the supinated grip. May just need to switch to right-hand supinated for a few weeks to give it time to recover. 2nd set shown.
Press was tough today. I had to "get up" for most of the sets, clear my mind, and focus on every tiny detail. Too bad, as it's the same weight as last Press V.D. Guess we'll see what happens. Final set shown.
Deadlift was okay, but I was out of gas at this point. Probably due largely to travelling over the weekend, and not getting a ton of sleep (probably applies to the Press situation as well). Also, my left hand has been starting to bother me being supinated on the mixed grip, so I switched to right hand supinated. Pain went away immediately, but was awkward as I haven't switched my grip in a long time. Probably ought to start alternating at least on V.D. 2nd set shown.
Squats went pretty well. Technique felt a little off here and there. Not sure if it was focus, fatigue, intensity, or other. Didn't get a full night's sleep the night before.
Press was a shit show because we had the wrong weight written down and so the first set was too light. Then I mis-loaded one side of the bar on the second set. Got straightened out for the final three sets, and they were fine.
Speed deads are taking increased mental focus to do correctly as the intensity goes up. My takeaway this day was squeezing the bar. I'm pulling these all double-overhand, and I could feel the difference in how strong the reps felt if I bore down on my grip as hard as I could. Something to try and carry-over to mixed-grip, high-intensity sets.
P.T. cleared me to start pulling from the floor again. Super slow all the way through, and taking video to make sure my back stays flat. Progress. Also, done double-overhand, these were surprisingly taxing on grip.
Knees continue to be weird, so I warmed up with a set of extensions.
In the hopes that squatting may be around the corner, I move my stance out on hacks, lowered the reps, and increased the weight. Had been doing close stance, toes forward. These were around shoulder length with the toes out a bit.
Went to the unsupported t-bar contraption and tried to focus on a bit of arch throughout. No pain.
Haven't done deadlifts in a while and things were a little out of whack. *I did double-overhand all the way up to 365, but that top weight started to come out of my fingers right before lock-out.
I was going to try using straps for my work sets, but I couldn't get in position starting at the bottom. I didn't realize so much of my set-up started while standing upright, getting tight and then pulling myself down to the bar.
Worksets felt weaker than I'd hoped after the time off. I missed at the bottom on both an attempted 4th rep on the first set, and an attempted single at the end. My weakness continues to be from the floor.
RDLs felt good though.
Thinking about strength off the floor, I decided to try out paused front squats here instead of the planned T-Bar rows. Might play with this again next week.
For the 305 I was either going to do 3X3 (like I did last week), or 2X4. I would know which when I hit the 3rd rep of the 1st set at 305. That rep felt very good, so I hit a 4th. It was a little slower than I would have liked, but the 2nd set of 4 was even better. So good, I thought about doing a 3rd, but I'd already planned to add a set to my next movement, so I moved on to make sure I had gas for that.
Speaking of which, the deficit deads felt very good. Smooth and pretty fast. Next session, if regular deads go well, I might try to bump these up to sets of 5.
RDLs are feeling better. Still trying to be super strict with my knee angle. Managed to get 5 when I went for it on the 2nd set. Will try for 5 on both sets next week.
Only managed to get 10 again on Rows keeping everything strict and squeezing the rep at the top.
