Great day today.
Started with a nice long warmup, got the shoulders really warm, then got to work. Right away, I was feeling solid. Weight felt light. I really tried to focus on separating my reps out, trying to really rocket them down and up with as much speed as I could muster for the first couple reps, then banging the others out quickly, keeping tension on the muscles and really getting my stabilizers, chest, and lats warmed up and working hard. Hit the bar x 20, 95 x 15, 135 x 10, 185 x 5 all easy, and I knew it was a good day. Kept my energy high and my attitude animal, and smashed a rep at 225, then 240. Went to 255 and smashed it for a new PR. I flared a little early and pressed the weight back, over my face a lot, but it was pretty easy. Loaded up 260 and hit that too, definitely tougher on the lockout, but overall still really fast and a great rep, and that was a 10 lb PR. I knewwww attempting 265, there was a good chance I would fail, but I REALLY want 275 next time I max out, so it was worth the attempt to be that much closer to my goal. However, I just didn't have it. Good fight at the sticking point, but I just didn't have it moving fast enough to lock it out. Still, 10 lb PR is nothing to be angry about! really happy with that, it's 25 lbs on my bench since the start of summer, 15 lbs since coming back to school. I think if I really crack down 275 is realistic. It's gonna be a fight but I am going to get it.
Next, close grip feet up benching. It's been a while sicne I did this! I need to be doing it more, it works so well for me. Anyways, loaded up 145 and hit it for a max set of 25, which I'm pretty happy with. getting stronger for sure.
Next, 4 x 25 cable rows with 110.
Finally, bar starz. My pullup strength and grip strength are really starting to improve due to this, it's such a great tool.
So, feeling much better today about training. I thought things through, and I think the plan for the next four weeks is clear: First and foremost, things are going to stay ALMOST the same. Training had been going great, I have been enjoying it, and I am getting stronger. However, some small changes are goign to make a difference, I think. Number one, doing a 4-week wave instead of 3, so I can get some slightly higher reps in on the first ME day and do a better job of "building." I think that extra really hard ME set, and the extra week, will give me a little more time to build up strength that is demonstrated when I max out. Secondly, I think that I need to focus on SPEED for my squat, and REPS for my bench. Thursday, I think I am going to try and avoid choosing weights, sets, reps, ahead of time as best I can. Instead, I am going to squat with the sole intent of moving that bar as fast as I can, do whatever reps I feel like, and just keep adding weight as long as I can maintain bar speed. Once I start to notice it dropping off, I either stay at that weight or even drop back, so I am REALLY training my ability to move as fast as possible, catch a stretch reflex etc. Some weeks, this might mean staying really light, and some it might mean going up heavy. But the important thing is going to be getting reps in where I am moving that bar FAST. Then, I will use front squats to work my technique, seeing as how all my issues on squat (chest up, hips and knees forward) are emphasized with front squatting anyways. So, get stronger with heavy squats, then really work SPEED with back squats, and technique with front squats thursday. On the other hand, I think I have the hang of speed and really solid technique on bench. I focused hard today on bar speed and it came really naturally to me. What I think I need to focus on for fridays is banging out reps, with slightly heavier weights. But the emphasis needs to be on getting through the sets as fast as possible, keeping tension on the muscles, forcing my chest and my stabilizers to work really hard - almost a more "bodybuilding" style of doing a set. This will help me to build up my chest, build my stabilizers, build my back, force me to grow because it isn't as efficient as I might want. Then, on heavy days when I REALLY focus on a tight arch, treating each rep as a single, and being as fast as possible, all that extra muscle, stabilizer strength and pec activation will make heavy singles fly up, like they did today. For squats, I need to focus on being as FAST as I can, and for bench I need to build my bench up with less stable variations (pec flies, high rep BB benching, CGFUBP, dumbell benching, etc) and then, conversely, focus on SMASHING heavy reps, as single, with maximum speed and lat activation.
Great day, with some great ideas. Can't wait for these next 4 weeks. Lets keep at it.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Bench 185 x 3 x 10.
Light day today. Not feeling my best, a little sore and tight and beat up, but I think that's a good thing! took it easy today, now I have the weekend to heal up nice, super compensate, and hit some Pr's next week.
Started with bench. got nice and warm, and really tried to focus on tight lats and big arch today. Hit the bar, 95 and they were flying up. 135 x 10, then jumped to 185 and hit it for 3 x 10. Wasn't as easy as I might have hoped, but not hard at all. Form was nice, everything was solid. I honestly think I just wasn't having a great day today.
Next, pec flies - warmup set with 7.5 then 3 sets of 12 with 17.5.
Next up, rows. Did some smith machine yates rows today, with 135, did 3 sets of 25. Felt good on my lats.
Finally, did some farmers carries to work grip, although I was having some wrist issue so I called it a little early.
So, solid day! simple, not too tough, but hopefully it got everything healing and worked all the right things, so that come tuesday weight will feel light, back will feel tight, and I'll be able to smash some big weight. Lets keep at it.
Next, pec flies - warmup set with 7.5 then 3 sets of 12 with 17.5.
Next up, rows. Did some smith machine yates rows today, with 135, did 3 sets of 25. Felt good on my lats.
Finally, did some farmers carries to work grip, although I was having some wrist issue so I called it a little early.
So, solid day! simple, not too tough, but hopefully it got everything healing and worked all the right things, so that come tuesday weight will feel light, back will feel tight, and I'll be able to smash some big weight. Lets keep at it.
Squats, Front squat 295 x 3
Really solid day yesterday. Gonna keep this brief.
Started with squats. I was actually feeling really good, and was tempted to go heavy, but fought the urge haha. The point of today was to try and fix some of the technique issues I have been having. Squatting has just felt a little off lately on heavy days, and I wanted a day where I kept the weights lighter and focused on form. Hit the bar for 10, 135 x 5, then went to 225 for 3 sets of 10. Took time between sets, and really tried to focus on keeping good positions, keeping my hips and knees forward and my toro upright. It took some time, but by the end I was moving really well, reps felt good, form was on point. Basically, I think the key for monday is twofold; one, stretch out on sunday evening, and really focus on getting my ankles and shit warm before my max squat, so I don't get yanked out of position. two, keep my stance wide! Don't let the heavy weight scare me into a closer stance. Wider stance = better squats for me. Also, despite good form my speed wasn't as great as I wanted. No biggie, but I REALLY need to be focusing on speed on every single rep on monday if I wanna PR.
Next, decided to front squat sort of heavy. Warm up went great for these - hit 135 x 5 with a pause on the last rep, 185 x 3 with a pause on the last rep, 225 x 2 with a pause on the second rep. Then I went to 275 and hit it for a beltless single. It wasn't cake, but it moved well and fast, so I went up to 295, belted up, and decided to hit it for a double. However, a double moved so well that I ended up doing a third rep too. So that is a new PR triple, by 20 lbs. Definitely stronger.
Finally, defecit deads at 135, 3 sets of 20.
So, feeling good! Excited to do some work on monday. Lets keep at it.
Started with squats. I was actually feeling really good, and was tempted to go heavy, but fought the urge haha. The point of today was to try and fix some of the technique issues I have been having. Squatting has just felt a little off lately on heavy days, and I wanted a day where I kept the weights lighter and focused on form. Hit the bar for 10, 135 x 5, then went to 225 for 3 sets of 10. Took time between sets, and really tried to focus on keeping good positions, keeping my hips and knees forward and my toro upright. It took some time, but by the end I was moving really well, reps felt good, form was on point. Basically, I think the key for monday is twofold; one, stretch out on sunday evening, and really focus on getting my ankles and shit warm before my max squat, so I don't get yanked out of position. two, keep my stance wide! Don't let the heavy weight scare me into a closer stance. Wider stance = better squats for me. Also, despite good form my speed wasn't as great as I wanted. No biggie, but I REALLY need to be focusing on speed on every single rep on monday if I wanna PR.
Next, decided to front squat sort of heavy. Warm up went great for these - hit 135 x 5 with a pause on the last rep, 185 x 3 with a pause on the last rep, 225 x 2 with a pause on the second rep. Then I went to 275 and hit it for a beltless single. It wasn't cake, but it moved well and fast, so I went up to 295, belted up, and decided to hit it for a double. However, a double moved so well that I ended up doing a third rep too. So that is a new PR triple, by 20 lbs. Definitely stronger.
Finally, defecit deads at 135, 3 sets of 20.
So, feeling good! Excited to do some work on monday. Lets keep at it.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Cardio and stretching
Short session today because I had to get some homework done.
Did a hard ten mins on the elliptical (lol) and then stretched my shit out. Feeling pretty good, hopefully tomorrows squats will feel nice!
Did a hard ten mins on the elliptical (lol) and then stretched my shit out. Feeling pretty good, hopefully tomorrows squats will feel nice!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Bench 245 x 2 x 2
Really good day today.
Started with bench. Got nice and warm - I've got this warmup figured out pretty well now! by the end of my general warmup, plus the shoulder dislocates, tornadoes, band pull aparts and dumbell stuff, my whole upper body is feeling really warm and pumped and ready to bench. Anyways, in my sets working up, I focused on hitting the first 3 reps or so with a lot of speed and precision, separating them out from eachother. I think the reason I didn't do so well at 225 last week is because I tried to bang the reps out, but at that sort of heavy weight I should be working on doing them almost like singles, to fight energy leaks. So, anyways, hit the bar for 20 or so, 95 x 15, 135 x 10, then 185 x 5, all of which felt good. Loaded up 225 and hit it for a solid single, not the BEST single I have ever hit at that weight, but pretty strong. So, I decided, instead of shooting for 240 for 3-4 reps, to load up 245 and try and shoot for 2-3 reps. Went after it and hit a very solid double, and honestly I feel like I might have had a third rep but I didn't have a spotter so I chickened out. But, I wasn't satisfied with 2 so I decided to try for at least another single. Ended up hitting a really nice rep, so I went for a double, and despite being a very tough lockout, managed to get it. So, two doubles at 245 is a nice little pr that I'm happy about. Would have preferred three, but hey you can't win them all.
Next up, did some dumbell benching, which actually felt great. It showed me how great my pressing power is if I simply keep my back and lats really tight - as a matter of fact, it made me think that perhaps I need to be a little more tucked one normal bench, bringing the bar just a tiny bit lower on my chest in order to make that lockout easier by not flaring so early on in the rep. I could THROW these dumbells up when I focused really hard on lat tightness. Anyways, hit 42.5's for 25 like nothing, 55's for another 25, then grabbed 65's and hit them for 19. Felt good, obviously I need to be goign heavier on these but for today this was a great few sets.
Next, cable rowed 100 lbs for 4 sets of 25, alternating between wide ass rows and bench-grip width rows. Felt great, blew my back right up.
Finally, bar starz. First set, did 4 normal pullups, then switched to supinated and did 2 chinups. Second set did some one-handed swings, and third set did 2 wide grip pullups, 2 regular grip pullups, and 2 chinups. Didn't spend as much time on the bar as I should've, but did more pulling than normal.
So, feeling great! Pr's yesterday and today, joints feel great, everything is good. So, basically I need to focus on recovery and technique these next few days, and hopefully I will be able to hit some nice PR singles next week. I'm thinking nice, high-rep stuff thurs and fri - light sets of 10, to really drill form and speed, followed by really light high rep assistance stuff (except maybe some moderately heavy front squats). Then, just really focus on resting, eating, and get in some stretching this weekend. I'm pumped, I think good things are soon to come. Lets keep at it.
Started with bench. Got nice and warm - I've got this warmup figured out pretty well now! by the end of my general warmup, plus the shoulder dislocates, tornadoes, band pull aparts and dumbell stuff, my whole upper body is feeling really warm and pumped and ready to bench. Anyways, in my sets working up, I focused on hitting the first 3 reps or so with a lot of speed and precision, separating them out from eachother. I think the reason I didn't do so well at 225 last week is because I tried to bang the reps out, but at that sort of heavy weight I should be working on doing them almost like singles, to fight energy leaks. So, anyways, hit the bar for 20 or so, 95 x 15, 135 x 10, then 185 x 5, all of which felt good. Loaded up 225 and hit it for a solid single, not the BEST single I have ever hit at that weight, but pretty strong. So, I decided, instead of shooting for 240 for 3-4 reps, to load up 245 and try and shoot for 2-3 reps. Went after it and hit a very solid double, and honestly I feel like I might have had a third rep but I didn't have a spotter so I chickened out. But, I wasn't satisfied with 2 so I decided to try for at least another single. Ended up hitting a really nice rep, so I went for a double, and despite being a very tough lockout, managed to get it. So, two doubles at 245 is a nice little pr that I'm happy about. Would have preferred three, but hey you can't win them all.
Next up, did some dumbell benching, which actually felt great. It showed me how great my pressing power is if I simply keep my back and lats really tight - as a matter of fact, it made me think that perhaps I need to be a little more tucked one normal bench, bringing the bar just a tiny bit lower on my chest in order to make that lockout easier by not flaring so early on in the rep. I could THROW these dumbells up when I focused really hard on lat tightness. Anyways, hit 42.5's for 25 like nothing, 55's for another 25, then grabbed 65's and hit them for 19. Felt good, obviously I need to be goign heavier on these but for today this was a great few sets.
Next, cable rowed 100 lbs for 4 sets of 25, alternating between wide ass rows and bench-grip width rows. Felt great, blew my back right up.
Finally, bar starz. First set, did 4 normal pullups, then switched to supinated and did 2 chinups. Second set did some one-handed swings, and third set did 2 wide grip pullups, 2 regular grip pullups, and 2 chinups. Didn't spend as much time on the bar as I should've, but did more pulling than normal.
I'm coming soon
So, feeling great! Pr's yesterday and today, joints feel great, everything is good. So, basically I need to focus on recovery and technique these next few days, and hopefully I will be able to hit some nice PR singles next week. I'm thinking nice, high-rep stuff thurs and fri - light sets of 10, to really drill form and speed, followed by really light high rep assistance stuff (except maybe some moderately heavy front squats). Then, just really focus on resting, eating, and get in some stretching this weekend. I'm pumped, I think good things are soon to come. Lets keep at it.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Squat 375 x 3, 1
Interesting day today.
Basically, felt good today going into the gym. A little tight and off, which I think is simply due to the fact that I haven't been putting in the time to stretch on the weekends. I've been busy, so its not sheer laziness, but I think this weekend I am really going to try and get in at least 10-15 minutes of stretching on sunday, and hopefully the same saturday as well. Anyways, warmed up a long time and got started squatting. Hi the bar x 10, 135 x 5, 225 x 3, 315 x 1, then jumped straight to 375. Got in the zone, tried to treat it like 135, and hit it. First rep was good, second was good but pretty hard. I knew I had a third, so I focused up and tried to hit it. about halfway up I felt certain I was going to fail, and then something strange happened - without even thinking about it my left hand shot out to the collar, and I was able to finish the rep! I must have just been off balance and my body instinctively did what it needed to to get me back on balance.... and once it did that I could stand the weight up. Obviously form wasn't ideal AT ALL lol, so I decided to end on a better note. After a nice rest, hit it again for a hard but very clean single. So that's pretty good! I'll count it as a triple, which is a 10 lb, 2 rep PR. not bad.
Next, kept the assistance high. Deadlifts, touch n go, from the floor, double overhand. Hit 125 x 15, 185 x 15, and then 235 x 15.
So, good day! I need to do some reps thursday, to work on speed, form, keeping my feet wide and my weight in the right place, etc. Then, I need to stretch this weekend to make sure I can keep good positions monday. But overall, I think I'm gonna hit 400+ no problem next monday. Hopefully, 415 will be in the bag. Lets keep at it.
Basically, felt good today going into the gym. A little tight and off, which I think is simply due to the fact that I haven't been putting in the time to stretch on the weekends. I've been busy, so its not sheer laziness, but I think this weekend I am really going to try and get in at least 10-15 minutes of stretching on sunday, and hopefully the same saturday as well. Anyways, warmed up a long time and got started squatting. Hi the bar x 10, 135 x 5, 225 x 3, 315 x 1, then jumped straight to 375. Got in the zone, tried to treat it like 135, and hit it. First rep was good, second was good but pretty hard. I knew I had a third, so I focused up and tried to hit it. about halfway up I felt certain I was going to fail, and then something strange happened - without even thinking about it my left hand shot out to the collar, and I was able to finish the rep! I must have just been off balance and my body instinctively did what it needed to to get me back on balance.... and once it did that I could stand the weight up. Obviously form wasn't ideal AT ALL lol, so I decided to end on a better note. After a nice rest, hit it again for a hard but very clean single. So that's pretty good! I'll count it as a triple, which is a 10 lb, 2 rep PR. not bad.
Next, kept the assistance high. Deadlifts, touch n go, from the floor, double overhand. Hit 125 x 15, 185 x 15, and then 235 x 15.
So, good day! I need to do some reps thursday, to work on speed, form, keeping my feet wide and my weight in the right place, etc. Then, I need to stretch this weekend to make sure I can keep good positions monday. But overall, I think I'm gonna hit 400+ no problem next monday. Hopefully, 415 will be in the bag. Lets keep at it.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Bench 205 x 8
Decent day yesterday. Again, time limit to my workout meant I was pushing fast. Benching didn't feel quite as good as I wanted, but it was an alright day.
Warmed up, got my shoulders really warm and focused on getting my chest and my lats warmer today. Then started benching, without much rest and focusing on speed and precision. Hi the bar x 20, 75 x 12 or so, 105 x 12 or so, then 135 x 8, 165 x 8, 185 x 8, and finally 205 x 8. The 205 x 8 was harder than I wanted it to be, I was hoping to rip through the reps but it wasn't that easy. Still, I probably had a rep or two in the tank. I think, with heavier weights, the secret is going to be to do a better job separating the reps, while with lighter weights I should continue working on banging out the sets as fast as possible, so that with max attempts I conserve energy and every rep is precise, and with lighter work I am working on building up my stabilizers and really working my muscles in the same motor pattern over and over.
Next up, pec flies. did 3 sets of 20 with 10 lb dumbells, just to mix things up.
Next, cable rows, 4 sets of 25. I really tried to think, with these, about treating it like the opposite of a bench press. Keeping the form exactly the same, basically. It was interesting, and felt a lot like a bench press, which is good. I think I am finally figuring out how to really utilize my back in the bench, maybe that's why it has been improving lately.
Finally, bar starz was good. For the first time in a while, did some actual pulling which felt good! shoulders and elbows weren't bothered by it at all. Grip is getting pretty damn strong.
So, Good day. Trying to rest up for the rest of this weekend, and hopefully hit some PR's monday and tuesday! Last week was aight, so lets try and make this week REALLY solid. Lets keep at it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)