Bench 215 x 4

Had a great day today!

Oh my lord what a huge man.

Started with a nice long warmup. Surprisingly, my back (and lower back especially) actually felt great haha. Just goes to show I guess I'm not in imminent danger due to my deadlifting. Anyways, got nice and warm, and started lifting. I was feeling strong and moving fast today. Wanted to hit slightly higher reps today, so decided to work up to a heavy 4. Hit the bar for a slew, then 95 for like 15, 135 x 10, 165 x 6, 185 x 4, which felt solid but a little slow. Then, loaded up 200. Hit that for a nice 4, then 205 x 4, then 210 x 4, and FINALLY loaded up 215 and hit THAT for 4! Pretty happy with that. Just a few weeks ago, when working up to a heavy single, 215 was the heaviest single I could get. Then, got it for 3 a couple weeks ago, and now doing even better. I'm really happy with that set of 4, as well as all the volume working up to it.

Next, dropped back to 165 and did some close grip, feet-up benching and again surprised myself! I thought to myself that I might try and hit it for 3 sets of 10, although I kind of thought it wasn't very likely. However, I hit the first set and 10 was so solid that I hit an 11 and 12th rep! Really awesome. Next set I could only get 10, and the set after only 8, but still very happy with that! Finally, dropped back to 135 and hit it for a set of 15. Last rep was horrible haha, but hey I got it.

Finally, I loaded up my cable row with 100 lbs and hit it for 5 hard sets. Kept the rest low and the reps high, every set was between 15-25 reps. Really got a nice bicep pump and upper back/trap pump.

So, awesome day! Kept it simple with just a couple movements, but worked my ass off, got a great pump, moved some heavy weights, and had a great time. Think I'm gonna do some pullups tomorrow to add is some vertical pulling, and maybe more chest flies friday! Haha maybe they are part of the secret. Lets keep at it.

Deadlift 435 x 1, 465 grip fail

Interesting day today.

So, the play is finally done. I partied hard saturday, drank a lot, didn't sleep, didn't really eat right, then did my best to sleep well last night. Today, I didn't really feel like working hard, so instead tried to do something fun - A heavy single deadlift with the belt. I wanted to see how it felt, how my form looked, and see what kind of weight I could move.

Overall, it was a very interesting session. I warmed up a ton, then started pulling, trying both to keep a flat back and pull with speed, aggression, and with the form that felt the most natural. Hit 155 for a couple sets, including some singles, then 245 x 5, then 335 x 1. Nailed 385, And crushed 435 as well, though my hook grip was a little iffy. Finally, loaded up 465 for a PR and pulled it. I was literally maybe one inch from complete lockout when my hook grip failed, so I won't count it as a PR. However, I basically got it.

Thing is, lower back is insanely round on those later pulls. I don;t know exactly how, when and why this problem came about, but I simply feel the fastest, strongest, and most natural pulling with a rounded lower back. And it's a bummer haha, because it SUCKS to force yourself to lift in a way that feel way less athletic and comfortable. However, I feel like I need to be making moves to fix this. I don't think, at these weights and with a belt, and only maxing fairly rarely, that I am going to hurt myself. However, as I get stronger the risk gets more and more, and I do not want a serious injury. SO, since fixing it is what I want, it seems like I have two options. Option 1 is an extreme assault on the deadlift. Drop the weight so I can move it with perfect form, and then hammer away, forcing myself to pull heavy weights with a perfectly flat back until I learn how to do it again completely naturally. Or, option 2, I continue to hammer squats and hammer my back with lighter weights, doing lighter deadlift variation and back work - improve my quad strength, my back strength, my core strength, and hopefully, as all the pats get stronger, my deadlift will also grow stronger, and I will be able to round less and less.

For  now, I think I will stick with option 2. Focus on squatting, with tons of good mornings, RDL's, snatch grip deadlifts, deficit deads, etc with light weight and a flat back for assistance work. Build my squat, build my back strength, and hopefully the rounding will slowly become less and less without me having to take steps back and be weak for a while. But, if strength and technique doesn't seem to improve, I'll simply have to do what I have done before - take the weight back, start pulling with a perfectly flat back, and build up form and strength that way.

Bench 195, 5 x 5

Good workout today!

Felt like shit warming up haha. I don;t know why, I was just not feeling it today. My lower back has been so shitty lately, I think I need to devote some more time to stretching and decompressing it, Maybe spend some time in the bottom of a squat. Anyways, started benching, bar x a slew, 95 x 15, 135 x 10, 165 x 7. All of which felt fine, except I just was NOT feeling warm at all. Went up to 195 and hit it for the first set of 5. it wasn't BAD, but I just wasn't warm enough so form was a little wonky. Still, made all 5 reps. Then, I settled into a groove and was able to hit it for a 2nd, 3rd and 4th set that were all very nice. Smooth, strong, awesome. Final set was a little shitty though... I decided, based on the other sets, that I could get an extra rep or two on this final set, So I had "rep out" in my mind, and that threw me off. I definitely set up a little differently, which hurt me - my first rep was a sloppy one, and then I was too wound up so I started getting a nasty ass cramp as I moved through the rest of the set. However, I still managed to hit a solid 6 reps, which I am happy with. My PR at 195 is 8 reps, so a solid set of 6 after 20 other reps is very solid.

Next up, incline bench, which went way better than I expected! I haven't done this in a while, so I decided to do 4 sets to failure with 135. I think the most I have ever done at 135 is 5 x 8, but I sat down to hit that first set to failure, and nailed a set of 12! I was pretty freakin happy with that. Kept the rest a little shorter on these, and ended up hitting 3 more sets: 10, 8, and 7. Not too bad! I don't know why I seem to have improved haha. Perhaps it is thr touch n go work I am doing, or the close grip, feet up benching I am doing. But I am happy to have done so well, and to have worked hard.

Next, did some cable rows. Pretty light, 40 lbs, but I did 3 sets of 20 with pretty limited rest, focusing on the squeeze best I could. Felt good.

Next, did some pec flies! pretty light, dumbell handles with 5's on them, did 3 sets of 12. I have never really done these before, and I must say I don;t like how they feel haha. There's a nasty stretch. However, got a pretty good pump even with the light ass weight, and I figure ANYTHING that helps improve pec size or strength is going to help with my bench, so maybe I will play with these more.

Finally, did some straight arm pulldowns with 30 lbs, wider grip, did 3 sets of 16. These felt good, although I think going a little lighter and stricter would have been better. Still, ended with a great pump through my whole upper body - triceps from incline, chest from flies, upper back from rows, and lats from the pulldowns. Feels good man.

So, good workout! Fun and productive. Gonna rest a lot this weekend, and then I will be free from theater! and I can throw myself into training like never before. Lets keep at it.

Squat 315 x (10 x 1)

Today was a fun, productive day. My one complaint is that the things I did took a while, so I didn't do as many exercises/as much work as I might have wanted. But hey, what I did was quality work, and with the play coming to an end I don't really need to be pushing my limits these next couple workouts. 

First of all, last night I decided to take a sleep supplement that I got when I was at the europa. It was fucking awesome. I slept like 11 straight hours, and felt great when I woke up. I am thinking about buying a larger quantity, just for nights when I feel like I need a good night's sleep. 

So today, started warming up and felt great. Started off my squat session with a real focus on form - not rushing into the bottom, but really thinking about pulling into the hole with perfect form, and letting the rest take care of itself. Hit the bar x 10, 135 x 5, 185 x 4, 225 x 3, 275 x 2. All those sets felt awesome. It was great to not care too much about EVERY rep feeling awesome, blah blah blah. I just made every rep as perfect as I could, keeping the load off my back and on my quads, and felt great. My first single at 315 was really the only ugly rep I hit today. It wasn't even too bad, just a bit too forward so that I loaded up my back. But I moved it fine, as I did the next 4 reps. Basically, I kept the first 5 reps calm and smooth. Then, for the second 5, I practiced psyching myself up, but then pulling it back just enough to maintain perfect form. It went really well! this is a skill I have never really had, but today I was really able to get amped up while controlling form and not letting it go to shit. Those second 5 reps were DEFINITELY faster and smoother than the first 5, and form stayed really nice too. On the final 2 reps, I belted up. I think I need to utilize my belt a little bit more in training, both for practice, and because it will allow me to move more weight, faster, with better form, which is going to help me improve. Just can't over use it! 

Next up, dropped to 185 and did 3 sets of 10 front squat at this weight. This really felt fine. Didn't rest much between sets, maybe 4-5 mins. Form was good, really felt these in my back. I have never done this kind of volume at this weight, so that's pretty damn good! 

Finally, did 3 sets of hollow rocks. 

So, overall, good workout! Part of me wanted to get in some deadlift assistance, but honestly I did quite a bit of squatting, and  those front squats in particular were different and harder than anything I have done in a while! So, just hit the abs hard and called it a day. Feeling really good about training, can't wait to be able to focus even more on it. Lets keep at it. 

WOD

Today, I did a little metcon/WOD instead of my normal light cardio followed by light lifting. It was fun! Hard, felt like shit, but fun.

Basically, decided to do power cleans, to work on explosiveness in my lower body/hips, and pushups, to get some more pressing volume/chest work in, plus some running to add to the time the workout would take to complete, so that it would be a nice 20 minute or so session. So this is what I did:

5 power cleans at 135
15 pushups
5 more powercleans at 135
200 meter run

5 rounds

It felt good overall haha. Basically, it was harder than I thought (duh) cause I haven't done a metcon in forever. However, over all it was a super productive workout. Power cleans were light enough that I could do them with good form, and I broke the 10 total reps up, which again helped keep form good. Pushups were really not much of a problem, they weren't hard on my muscles, just on my breathing. Running felt like shit, I tried to use it as recovery time but really I just looked the LEAST athletic I have ever looked haha. I think it would have been better to have done like 50 meter sprint, rest 30 seconds, 50 meter sprint. I would have been ACTUALLY running, instead of the horrible jogging thing I was doing today lol. Basically, I just took my time. Tried not to rest TOO much, but also didn't go as fast as possible. Kept form good on the movements, rested just a little bit after the run, when my heart rate was up anyways. Ended up taking me about 22 minutes, which is perfect! heart rate elevated for that amount of time is exactly what I was looking for.

So, overall, great workout. Things to remember for next time: Pushups can be a little harder. Running should be more like short sprints, so that I am ACTUALLY working hard and running, then I can rest a little more with my heart rate still elevated (maybe RUN then walk a little bit?) But doing the light movements was great to get in the technique/speed/volume work that I needed, and taking my time with the workout allowed me to get a decent length conditioning workout in. Heart rate was high, I ws working hard, but I was more interested than when I am running, getting in more relevant work (i.e. practice lifting, explosiveness, etc.)

SO: I think I should do this more often! just need to pick movements that are A) going to help my lifting, B) light enough to keep good form on, and C) take my time just enough so that my heart rate is elevated for a longer time, and I can execute the whole workout with good form so that it is useful in a number of different ways. Lets keep at it!

Bench 220 x 2, 225 x 1

Good day today. A little less focused than ideal, but good.

Started with max effort bench. Warmed up a lot, then got started. Hit the bar for a slew, then 95 for 10 regular reps and some paused reps. Then hit 135 for 10, 165 x 6, 185 x 4. Then went up to 205, and dropped to doubles. Hit 205 for an easy double, then 215 x 2, then 220 x 2! This was the number I really wanted to hit for the day, but it felt good, so I went up. Hit 225 for a single, that was tough, then attempted the second rep and - although I had a shot at it - failed. However, I REALLY felt like the issue was that my form was a tiny bit weird on that first rep, so I decided to attempt it again, and failed right off the bat haha. I don't know if it was mental, or I just didn't have it today. But either way, I got 220 for a double, which is the heaviest I have gone in a while, and then hit 225 for a very solid single (which I couldn't do two weeks ago). Not half bad.

Next, did some backoff sets with a close grip and my feet up. Instead of doing three sets at a static weight, I decided to do a "drop set" with plenty of rest in between. ended up hitting 175 x 6, 155 x 12, and 135 x 15. This was kind of cool, to get a lot of volue AND some heavier work in.  But I felt unsatisfied with the 175. I think I should have gotten a couple reps more, and maybe I was just a little sloppy on that set since it was the first one and stuff.

Next, yates rows. Did 3 x 20 at 185.

Finally, supersetted some more rows with some overhead press. Loaded up 95 lbs on the press and 40 lbs on the cable, and just did a bunch of high rep work to finish my upper body off. Think I pressed the 95 for 19, 12, and 10, and rowed the stuff to my chest for like 25, 20, 25 or something like that.

So, overall a good workout. I wish I had been a little more focused, I think I could have maybe doubled that 225, gotten more quality reps in on the backoff sets, and been out of the gym quicker. But it was still a good workout. And, I am making progress on my bench! So what I'm doing is working. Just gotta keep at it.

Squat 315 x 6

Today was a good day. A little slow, a little creaky, but a good training session nonetheless.

Started with Max effort squat. I decided to do things a little differently today and instead of doing a max 3 or 5 or whatever, do a max set at a heavy weight. Picked 315 cause it;s a great measuring stick haha, and would allow me to do slightly higher reps than I have done the past couple weeks. Warmed up a lot today, and didn't feel great. Could be for a few reasons - first, I am at a very busy time in life right now, with the play in it's final week and whatnot. Secondly, I drank a bit last night cause I was celebrating the final 5-show week, and thirdly I have felt a little sick lately. Might have a little bug. Anyways, didn't feel great warming up. Not bad, but I kept hitting shittier sets/reps, then I would take the weight again and do much better. Hit the bar for 10, then 5 front squats, 135 x 5, 5 front squats, then 225 for a rough 3, then a solid 1, 275 for a rough 3, then a solid 1. Finally, loaded up 315. Tried to just focus on one rep at a time, treating it like 135. Hit it for a solid set of 6. It was tough. Mentally, I had assured myself that I could get somewhere between 5-10 reps so I stuck with the set, through 5 and hit a 6th. Form was good on all of them, they were just a bit slow. I think I probably had a 7th rep in me, which isn;t bad! My PR being 9, hitting a solid 6 on an alright day, with some in the tank isn't too bad. Definitely part of me was hoping to get 8, 9, 10 reps magically haha. But I'm not unhappy with 6.

Next, deficit deadlifts! These are a little tricky. I still have trouble telling if my back is rounding at all. All I can feel is "used a lot of back" or "didn't use a lot of back" haha. Part of me wanted to film all my reps to keep an eye on form, blah blah blah. But I decided not to. I think, at this point, my best bet is to simply focus on getting stronger... getting my quads, hips, butt, hamstrings, back and core stronger. So, I did these high deficit deadlifts, which rely way more on leg drive than normal deads, and I just tried not to use to much back. Simple as that. Standing on top of a 55 lb plate (so maybe 3-4 inch deficit) I pulled 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 225 x 6, 275 x 4, 315 x 2, then 335, 355, 365, and finally 375. Felt that I used a lot of back on 375, so I called it there. Dropped back to 315 and hit it for 2 triples, and a final set of 4. Would have done more, but 4 was tough, I let go without really thinking of it, and decided - ehhh, why push?

Finally, did a set of hollow rocks to failure, and called it a day.

So, not bad! A 375 deadlift is pretty good from a pretty big deficit, with no belt and no psyching up whatsoever. Just gotta keep working, building up my leg drive, back strength, and my core's ability to hold strong, and then with my belt and a real attention to speed and aggression, I think I'll be able to smash some big weights. Probably thursday, I'll focus on some lower rep-higher set squat work to get some form/speed work in with heavier weights, and maybe hammer some front squats since it's been a while. Lets keep at it!