Well, I have been around these boards for a couple years now and keep track of all my own stuff for at least that long, but never kept a living log of the day in and out. So, here it is.
So I;m a 27 year old guy, weighing about 180 today, and looking to push that number up over the next 6-8 weeks. Then I gotta get cleaned up a bit, but for now its buy that shit, cook that shit, eat it
I’ve stuck to lower rep ranges for so long now that I am going completely the other way for this training cycle. 20 rep squats and other compound moves done between 10 and 15 reps. Simple stuff.
So feel free to critique, jab, admonish, or anything else because that’s what its for…
Thanks
Scott
Neutral grip DB press (I have been sticking to these for a while now to keep my shoulders happy)
warm
45sx2x12
Full squat
warm x bunch
135x1x20
Bent Rows
95x2x15
RDLs
145x2x15
Incline shrugs and trap bar shrugs x done
Plan will be to hit these moves Monday and Friday upping the poundages each workout/week, however it goes. And a Wednesday workout to hit some other stuff.
I want to use this day just to do front squats and cleans/clean presses and pullups, but my right shoulder despises the ‘return to hang’ portion of the clean movement so they will be done as I feel like it.
Front Squat
95x12
115x8
135x6
155x2
175x1
OH Squats
45x8
65x5
85x1x2
these piss me off b/c my front and back squat flexibility is no problem, but OH squats really make me feel inflexible in my tibia/shins and in my mid/lower back. I can’t bring myself to go ahead with better poundages until I feel more stable and not that I am going up on my toes at the bottom. I need to go use the bumper plates for these so I can just let the weights fly on these if they go bad and cleans too. That should solve my problems, plus it will get me away from the staring wackos at my gym and the sunshiney music. Actually i like the funny looks...
Welcome to the training section [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] What kind of shoulder problems do you have? Past injury or just bothersome when lifting?
Hey TG, the shoulder is an old basketball injury from the most flagrant foul in the history of the game. Now it just kindof lingers and heavier poundages on cleans and overhead stuff tend to awaken it and make me nervous b/c I don’t want to sabotage myself.
Friday 12/2
Its always tough feeling out the first week or so when you switch up the set/rep schemes.
Got to read some stuff on elitefts.com for the first time in awhile today and like always something really stuck. Today, it was this…. From Donnie Thompson, “Learn to be comfortable and strong in the hole. Don't be scared when you go low. Make it your strong point! This is where many lifters lose their air, their confidence and their squat. Instead of being afraid, embrace this part of the squat. Learn to love the pressure and the feeling of your head about to explode. If you learn to love this and expect it, you will do much better. If you are always scared, then your squat will reflect it.”
I love this because it is always a mental test to not cut it short on a max attempt or in the case of my current training these damned 20 rep squats. But i don't plan on missing a single rep.
The power of suggestion is very powerful…
Recovery has been going pretty good, plenty of food, enough sleep, foam rolling, and contrast showers really keep me feeling good.
Today is front squat day. Thank goodness that over the past few months my wrist flexibility has improved and now the oly grip is no problem (minus the bar choking me thing). I think the OH squat bottom flexibility is going to improve similarly, nothing can improve it better than doing it. Dan John’s ‘From the Ground Up’ is a great resource for this stuff.
Front Squat
95x8
115x8
135x6
185X1
I have to shut it down on these to not turn them from something that aids recovery to something that impedes recovery. The focus is the M/F squats so these are just good for recovery and flexibility and form. I do get tempted to try for 225 though.
OH Squats
45x8
45x8
45x8
I have to stay with just the bar until I can hit the full ass to ankles depth I want . Everything in my posterior chain forces me forward on these. Really stressing my chin/chest up, arch, and heels allows me to get to where I want but these make me feel so inflexible through my entire back. More time will improve this and them up in poundages
Wednesday 12/14/2005
Front Squat
95x8
135x4
135x5
135x5
OH Squats
45x8
65x3
65x2
Flexibility is improving by the week, it is apparent that the other big problem with this is holding the lockout. My OH strength is a glaring weakness that I will be working on from here on out in earnest. In MILO they speak of OH press being 80% of bench press, well my bench press sucks and my OH press still isn’t close to 80% of it. I estimate I could easily handle 205 or so on the bench so that translates to a 165 OH press… I don’t think I’ve ever even had > 115 above my head. The good thing is I love OH pressing but tend to not do it as to not bother my shoulder, but I will proceed with caution.
Schedule a little rearranged b/c of Monday Night Football game in town tomorrow. So I head in for a Sunday evening session.
Front Squat
95x6
135x4
135x4
OH Squats
45x8
45x8
45x8
Military / Push Press (holy hell my OH pressing is poor, but that leaves lots of room for improvement)
95X5
95X5
95X5
last 2 reps of each were more push press
First tuesday workout in months, ironically since i stopped dating the girl that works at my gym tuesday nights. It was nice to see her and now hopefully i will not get my schedule interrupted by MNF games.
Neutral grip DB press
warm
55sx1x12
55sx1x11 damn this press
Wednesday 12/28/05
First workout back after the xmas blowout, not too many drinks in me over the long weekend so I am pleased. Eating a ton plus drinking a ton = “holy crap look at the belly fat” for me. So holding off the drink is key and right now I sit at “in this mirror my belly is not too bad but I can’t use the one upstairs” fatness. One more week of freer eating then its tying it down for the coming months with some good use of nutrient timing and vegetables and (gasp) cardio?!?!?
Time off from the gym scheduled for this Sunday till Thursday or so. In between I will enjoy the new year’s in DC and the Orange Bowl in Miami to keep me busy.
Been planning out the weeks following that and the focus for me is going to be to lower the lifting volume (at least start low) and add in some actual energy system work (skipping rope/ bike HIIT / sprints at track). I am going to take my time with adding in the energy system stuff b/c I have time to ease into it and I don’t want to fry my legs by jumping into sprints too fast again. So I’ll start with a little rope work in the morning a few days a week and end a weight workout with some bike HIIT once a week to start.
For the first time in a long long time, I really want to get “in shape”, as in quick, lean, stamina-laden, and powerful. This goal coincides nicely with a late march trip to vegas to lounge by the pool and wager on march madness. Then a reassessment of where I am and some planning will take me into the summer in the best shape of my life. I’ve been able to say that for the past few summers and will continue to be able to say it for many to come I hope.
Weight training will be done in an alternating fashion of full body compound stuff. Coming from the high(er) rep stuff of the past 5-6 weeks, I am psyched to get some more weight in hand. Doing 20 rep squats makes a lot of things a lot easier by comparison. I really wanted to hit BW with the 20 reps but I ran out of time. I’ll be back for it sometime when it least expects it though.
Maybe in the new year i'll get another post by someone other than me too [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Back from New Years and Orange Bowl celebrations. What a way to take a break from the gym! And now, it is back to work with a vengeance. But wow Miami is the shit.
So back in the gym after work and looking forward to getting in to some shape. Soft is not a shape.
Welcome to the New Year and wow the gym had some new faces in it. A few nice ones to look at too, so I’ll have to try and make sure they stick around long after the duds fall off. This was the first workout for me off my break and I am a bit in a energy slump/sleep lacking state but that did not matter once I hit the rack.
This workout cycle will be alternating 2 workouts with some rope jumping and bike HIIT sprinkled in. I will also be eating much much cleaner, focusing on good carb timing (i.e. morning carbs, PWO carbs) and eventually getting into cycling them as No, Lo, and Hi carb days, but for now I am just weaning myself into cleaner eating with less carbs and more activity other than lifting. All lifts were good and weights will go up 5 lbs per movement.
First necessary Saturday workout in a long time. Might be a good idea to see how Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday would work out for a few weeks while the new years crew are clogging the place up on MWFs. But I like MWF so I think I’ll see how this week goes.
Workout B
DB Press
Warm
55s x 6
60s x 6
Dec CG Bench
3 x 6 135
Bent Rows
4 x 6 115
Chins
3 x 6 wow last two reps were iffy
Pullups
1 x 4 spent
Tate Press
20s x 2 x 12
Inc Shrugs
65s x 3 x 12
Not my most energetic workout but for the first go around at this one it was pretty good.
Wow, couldn’t get a treadmill to do my standard incline jount and warmup stuff. So I headed through the packed gym and down the steps to the track and strolled a few a laps and got loose. On my way through I saw the russian guy in the power rack that like to give me helpful verbal cues like “your breathing sucks” and “the movement is no real life” (this one was during some RC specific movement but he cared little). So, knowing today included cleans, I expected lots of critiques and odd comment , but this time was looking forward to it b/c this guy is a clean machine. But by the time I got done warming up and up to the rack, the russian was gone.
Power cleans (from ground)
120 x 8,6,4
OH Press
110 x 7,6, this did not go as planned
95 x6
Workout B
DB Press
Warm
55s x 6
60s x 7
Dec CG Bench
135 x 9 x 9 x 8
Bent Rows
120 x 6 x 6 x 6 x 8
Chins
3 x 6 with all 182 of me
Pullups
1 x 4 spent
Tate Press
25s x 2 x 12
Inc Shrugs
DONE
Better than last time around, felt good. I think I should do more volume on the cg presses and the rows so I will be doing more reps. More rows will be good.
Knee has been acting up, like it is out of place of something. So this morning I do a little rolling on the inner and outer portion of my leg and knee area. Wow, the spot on the inside of the left knee is crazy tender. And lo and behold , the discomfort and weird feeling has subsided.
January 13, 2006
Power cleans (from ground)
125 x 8,6,4
OH Press
105 x 8,7,6,
95 x4
Front Squat
155 x 8,6,4
OH Squats
45 x 6
65 x 6
65 x 6
Abs
DONE
Technique breakthrough on the cleans, patience and waiting on shrug movement really allowed me to move the bar fast. Looking forward to Wednesday cleans. OH pressing I will keep adding some volume with the above weight. No point in me going heavier when I get crushed. I can work with the 105 and then squeek some more out with 95 for some extra work. It will pay off. Better than killing myself moving up to 115 or more and doing 3x5 or so. Front squats after the other two lifts are brutal but that kindof makes it more fun. I like it. The 155 for all 18 reps was tough, but I can add 5 for next workout. That is all mental and having gone through 20 rep squats just a few weeks ago makes these easy by comparison. Then the OH squats, my god. My lockout is wrecked by now by the presses, my back is wrecked from the cleans, my legs are trashed from the fonts, and no wonder my OH squat sucks total S. I really need to do these first someday. I will do this in the near future and till then just bitch about my shit OH squat.
First time since starting this that I will have two full days of rest in me. And 12 days no drinks so Monday workout should be good.
Workout B
DB Press
Warm
55s x 7
60s x 6 x 6 x 5
Dec CG Bench
135 x 10 x 10
Bent Rows
125 x 6 x 6 x 6 x 7
Chins
6 x 6 x 5.5 with all 179 of me
Pullups
1 x 4 spent
Tate Press
25s x 2 x 8 x 10
Inc Shrugs
60s x 12 x 12 x 12
Good stuff, felt pretty full on energy having had 2 full days off on the weekend. Will be adding reps to the rows for more volume. Eating has been scarily good, no want for crap. I am enjoying the added fruits and gasp veggies. When you eat pretty clean and cheat more with booze and bad food instead of sweets, I gotta figure its easier to tighten it up. Fruit is like a flavor and taste explosion. I don’t have the sugar craving thing b/c I have never been a sugar guy.
I am going to have to apply this type of stuff to my next bulk whenever that is. I never really get the kind of results I want b/c I fill myself up too much each time I eat. So what exactly have we learned, I don’t know but something.
I don’t know if I am really just impressionable or just grab bits and pieces from various sources and try to apply stuff but having just read the Paul Chek article at t-mag I am going to head over to Whole Foods this week and see just how much more my meat and veggie bill would be from there.
Short term more $$ vs long term health is a much clearer decision now.
Power cleans (from ground)
135 x 8,5,5 some of these were not pretty, including the one that bounced off my adams apple
OH Press
115 x 5 I am stupid, this should have been 105
95 x 6,6,6
Front Squat
155 x 8,6,4
OH Squats
45 x 6
65 x 6
85 x 2 x 1 x 2
Abs
DONE
The lessened range of motion in the cleans from using the 45 made it harder, less time to build speed I guess. I will make this weight my training weight for the next few weeks and improve the form and extension in the lift.
Schedules a doc appt for next week to get my knee checked out. Something is not right and I don’t want to continue ignoring it. It gives me no direct pain, but there is an ever present oddity when I walk. I will not perform Workout A until I get seen. I may even take a few aleve over the weekend and see what happens.
Januay 20 PM
Workout B
DB Press
Warm
Dec CG Bench
135 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 8 x 7
Bent Rows
125 x 8 x 8 x 8 x 8
Chins
6 x 6 x 5.5
Pullups
1 x 4 spent
Tate Press
25s x 2 x 12 x 12
Inc Shrugs
60s x 12 x 12 x 12
Pretty good time, got back home, cleaned up and out to dinner and a bit of tequila. Lucky me…
Power cleans
135 x 7,3,3, 3 better, dropped one on the return to hang that sure turned some heads. Take home lesson HOLD ON TIGHTER
OH Press
105 x 8,6,4
OH Squat
65 x 8,6,4
85 x 2 x 1
Abs
DONE
Need to do lower reps with 135 unless I go from the hang. From the ground I don’t generate as much power after a few reps and get sloppy. I will stick to 4’s for awhile. Also, until I get the go ahead with my knee, I will lay off the fronts. Once I’m good to go I will move the OH’s first on wkout b day.
Some log
Linear Mode
