Someday I Will...

Malteaser!

I just remembered I didn't do any thoughts on the above session. I hope I remember something about it now!!! :rolleyes:

Erm...obviously very happy with it. My all time squat PB is 65kg but that was last year and I know myself that my strength had dropped off so I wouldn't have been able to squat that at the start of the program, in fact it would have been considerably lower. That makes the 60kg x 2 x 2 all the more sweeter. When I squatted 65kg last year, I think the heaviest working weight I'd used was 55kg or 57kg and not for numerous reps.

I was slightly worried when I took out 55kg coz instead of standing up with the weight in the rack, I sort of slid out of it backwards so it was in a crappy position on my back and I thought it was a bad sign for things ahead. Anyways, 60kg didn't feel heavy and the reps felt strong and like i could done way more. But decided against it because I didn't want to tire myself out before testing!

Malteaser!

Tested my squat today!!! I took a ton of videos so I'm just gonna throw them up and do a little description with each!!

So started with:

20kg x 5
30kg x 1 - forgot I was meant to do it for three
40kg x 2
50kg x 1
55kg x 1
60kg x 1

And then I started to video them, so:

65kg x 1 (old PB)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afgvfowlLNM

-Waaayyy too deep. Felt really easy and strong tho. At this stage, Hanley started to tell me to cut them higher, coz I'd be able for much more weight if I was going just to parallel.

70kg x 1 (5kg PR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-qhmGV8RJI

-Clearly I didn't listen to Ham and continued to bury them.

75kg x 1 (10kg PR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vABCSoNSI_w

- Slightly higher than the last few. Still really strong.
- When I went in today I really wanted to hit 75kg. That was like my ultimate number but then when I got it, I was like, 'aww, now I need to try 80kg!!!...just to see!...

80kg x 0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR7BBsDJ5Kw

-Failed.
- Here's a few reasons why:
Too many steps back
Waited too long to squat at the top
Went too deep
Didn't lift my head
- I knew from the second I unracked that I wasn't gonna get it. It felt, really heavy on my back and whatever way I took it out, it was too high up and the air got caught in my throat. As a result I felt like I was gonna get sick the whole way thru the lift and my concentration was on not vomiting!! Gross.

Tried 80kg again - fail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2zgWm63cE0

Same problems as before, and to make it worse, I let my knees drift in. :mad:

Decided to try it one more time. If I didn't get it this time, I was giving up!!

80kg x 1 - 15kg PR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRT-vY4P9VY

15kg PR baby!!
- I turned down my music a bit so I could hear Hanley's directions and it really made all the difference. In the previous ones I was forgetting to to lift my head and you can see in the video, Ham starts to get really loud, telling me to lift my head and I do and from there the weight just pops up.
-It's obviously not as deep as the others, there was no way in hell I was coming out of the hole if I did but we've looked it over and paused it at the spot tons of times and it just hits paralell! So I finished today with a 15kg PR on my squat!! BOO-YEAH!!!

kevpants

Fair play!! 80kg is monster stuff!!

Ahem.....


www.liftinglarge.com


Ahem....


www.idfpa.plus.com

Killme00

Jesus, go on, great work

brianthebard

Can't wait to show this to my training partner, that'll take the shine off his new pb! Well done malt, really impressive squatting.

BossArky

Excellent stuff, well done.

You are making crazy progress.

Malteaser!

Thanks guys!!

I still can't get over the fact that I missed 80kg TWICE and then came back and did it. I was talking to Hanley about it afterwards and we were saying that it was good that the reason I failed was because of technical things I can fix and not because I wasn't strong enough. It means that when I fix those things, in particular lifting my head, I'll be able for more.

Another big thing that I'm gonna have to work on is how I prepare normally for each of my working sets. The thing is, the weights I'm working with are light enough that I don't have to set up properly (walkout, elbows etc) and as a result when I go for big lifts like I did today I suck!

Hanley

Malteaser! wrote: »

Tested my squat today!!! I took a ton of videos so I'm just gonna throw them up and do a little description with each!!

So started with:

20kg x 5
30kg x 1 - forgot I was meant to do it for three
40kg x 2
50kg x 1
55kg x 1
60kg x 1

And then I started to video them, so:

65kg x 1 (old PB)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afgvfowlLNM

-Waaayyy too deep. Felt really easy and strong tho. At this stage, Hanley started to tell me to cut them higher, coz I'd be able for much more weight if I was going just to parallel.

70kg x 1 (5kg PR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-qhmGV8RJI

-Clearly I didn't listen to Ham and continued to bury them.

75kg x 1 (10kg PR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vABCSoNSI_w

- Slightly higher than the last few. Still really strong.
- When I went in today I really wanted to hit 75kg. That was like my ultimate number but then when I got it, I was like, 'aww, now I need to try 80kg!!!...just to see!...

80kg x 0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR7BBsDJ5Kw

-Failed.
- Here's a few reasons why:
Too many steps back
Waited too long to squat at the top
Went too deep
Didn't lift my head
- I knew from the second I unracked that I wasn't gonna get it. It felt, really heavy on my back and whatever way I took it out, it was too high up and the air got caught in my throat. As a result I felt like I was gonna get sick the whole way thru the lift and my concentration was on not vomiting!! Gross.

Tried 80kg again - fail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2zgWm63cE0

Same problems as before, and to make it worse, I let my knees drift in. :mad:

Decided to try it one more time. If I didn't get it this time, I was giving up!!

80kg x 1 - 15kg PR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRT-vY4P9VY

15kg PR baby!!
- I turned down my music a bit so I could hear Hanley's directions and it really made all the difference. In the previous ones I was forgetting to to lift my head and you can see in the video, Ham starts to get really loud, telling me to lift my head and I do and from there the weight just pops up.
-It's obviously not as deep as the others, there was no way in hell I was coming out of the hole if I did but we've looked it over and paused it at the spot tons of times and it just hits paralell! So I finished today with a 15kg PR on my squat!! BOO-YEAH!!!

Wow.... my legs look awesome in those vids!!:D

I kid, I kid!! I already told you how stunningly good a job you did today

When I saw the 70 go so easy I knew 80 was there if you could get your head around it. Coming back 3 times to get it was just amazingly impressive.

Malteaser! wrote: »

Thanks guys!!

I still can't get over the fact that I missed 80kg TWICE and then came back and did it. I was talking to Hanley about it afterwards and we were saying that it was good that the reason I failed was because of technical things I can fix and not because I wasn't strong enough. It means that when I fix those things, in particular lifting my head, I'll be able for more.

Another big thing that I'm gonna have to work on is how I prepare normally for each of my working sets. The thing is, the weights I'm working with are light enough that I don't have to set up properly (walkout, elbows etc) and as a result when I go for big lifts like I did today I suck!

Like I was saying to ya, it's funny how you never went above 75% of what you did today for that cycle. I think it really shows in the way you miss the lifts. Like it's the small technical things that are killing you. Ya don't have to worry about them with the lighter weights cos you can muscle them out and as a result it's killing you on the heavier ones. Like it's sooooo obvious how your changes in head position effect things. The drop on the second 80kg just killed out. It woulda gone if it wasn't for that. Then on the third as soon as you got your head up and some air out ya powered thru the sticking point.

I think ya need to work on elbow position, and possibly breaking at the hips first instead of the knees. That second point's something I noticed from your vid. Hamstring strength will be a big factor in making that work, but ya already said earlier it was something you felt the need to improve on so at least ya know what to focus on now!

Malteaser!

Hanley wrote: »

Wow.... my legs look awesome in those vids!!:D

I kid, I kid!! I already told you how stunningly good a job you did today

When I saw the 70 go so easy I knew 80 was there if you could get your head around it. Coming back 3 times to get it was just amazingly impressive.

I could tell as soon as I'd gotten 75kg that you thought that, there was no real celebration that I'd gotten it coz we both understood that I wasn't finished yet!! Same when I failed the first time, it didn't even have to be said!!

Like I was saying to ya, it's funny how you never went above 75% of what you did today for that cycle. I think it really shows in the way you miss the lifts. Like it's the small technical things that are killing you. Ya don't have to worry about them with the lighter weights cos you can muscle them out and as a result it's killing you on the heavier ones. Like it's sooooo obvious how your changes in head position effect things. The drop on the second 80kg just killed out. It woulda gone if it wasn't for that. Then on the third as soon as you got your head up and some air out ya powered thru the sticking point.

I think ya need to work on elbow position, and possibly breaking at the hips first instead of the knees. That second point's something I noticed from your vid. Hamstring strength will be a big factor in making that work, but ya already said earlier it was something you felt the need to improve on so at least ya know what to focus on now!

I agree with everything you said there!!

I forgot to mention my hamstrings earlier but I definitely felt a major weakness there when I got to 80kg.

Hanley

Malteaser! wrote: »

I could tell as soon as I'd gotten 75kg that you thought that, there was no real celebration that I'd gotten it coz we both understood that I wasn't finished yet!! Same when I failed the first time, it didn't even have to be said!!

Haha yeah. We've got an understanding

Green Athene

Well done Malteaser You are making great progress.

Samurai

converse in a gym! well I never..

brianthebard

Samurai wrote: »

converse in a gym! well I never..

SRSLY? They're excellent for lifting in, I don't care if people think its odd when I wear mine in, rock solid for my squats, unlike people in runners.

itsallaboutheL

brianthebard wrote: »

SRSLY? They're excellent for lifting in, I don't care if people think its odd when I wear mine in, rock solid for my squats, unlike people in runners.

im lovin vanns.................................. but thats coz im hot!! maaaahahaha

Samurai

brianthebard wrote: »

SRSLY? They're excellent for lifting in, I don't care if people think its odd when I wear mine in, rock solid for my squats, unlike people in runners.

ah yeah i'm not the biggest gym buff only lately I've been using my bro weights/whey when hes out! Whenever i was training though i always looked at those wearing converse and thought amatuers!

Hanley

Samurai wrote: »

ah yeah i'm not the biggest gym buff only lately I've been using my bro weights/whey when hes out! Whenever i was training though i always looked at those wearing converse and thought amatuers!

Lulz... I know you wouldnt know this, but I'd say 70-80% of the highest all time squat records in powerlifting were done by guys wearing cons. They're a rock solid shoe to lift in! And damn near impossible to destroy. I've had a pair almost 4 and a half years now, and even tho they're starting to die, they're still wearable for gym purposes!

Hanley

Btw, can't wait to see where your DL is when you get started on 5/3/1. I know you'll probably agree with me and start low enoguh and hammer the form to get your groove back. Considering how much stronger your back, legs and core are from all the squatting I'll be mega shocked and disappointed if you're not pulling serious PR's in 3 mnoths or so.

Malteaser!

Up in the gym the day after I squatted...bad idea. I can't even remember what I did but I was absolutely wrecked so there wasn't much happening.

There was tons of stretching tho - I've really tight hips and hamstrings

Also:

Pulldown Abs
67.5kg x 2 x 10

Facepulls
30kg x 10
37.5kg x 10
30kg x 2 x 10

Malteaser!

Today, first day of 5-3-1

Bench
20kg x 3
25kg x 5
30kg x 5
35kg x 9

Incline Bench
20kg x 5 x 10

DB Bench
10kg 'bells x 5 x 10

Pullups From the smith machine bar with my feet on a step
2 x 10
Few sets of 5

Hanley

Malteaser! wrote: »

Today, first day of 5-3-1

Bench
20kg x 3
25kg x 5
30kg x 5
35kg x 9

Incline Bench
20kg x 5 x 10

DB Bench
10kg 'bells x 5 x 10

Pullups From the smith machine bar with my feet on a step
2 x 10
Few sets of 5***

***"I was too busy watching James try to kill himself to bother with the rest"

Malteaser!

No logging recently coz there's been no training. I hurt my back during the week when I was karting. The pain from my scoliosis flared up really badly as a result of all the sharp turns. I'm seeing some signs of recovery with it now tho. When it first happened the pain was the whole way down the left side of my back, now it seems to be just above my hip. Anyway, I'm hoping to get back into training next week, I suppose I needed a bit of a break anyway!

brianthebard

That sucks, hope you feel better soon.

Malteaser!

First day back in the gym today since I hurt the back, feeling absolutely fine again so I'll just have to be more careful in the future.

Started 5-3-1 again, there was no point in continuing from where I left off coz I was only one day in.

Bench
20kg x 5
25kg x 5
30kg x 13


DB Incline Bench
10kg 'bells x 2 x 10
10kg 'bell x 7
8kg 'bells x 2 x 10

Single Arm DB Bench
8kg 'bell x 5 x 10 (per side)

Inverted Rows
Really just messing around with those, planning on incorporating them in the program.

Malteaser!

Wave 1, day 2

Deadlift
50kg x 2 x 5
60kg x 18

GMs
20kg x 10
25kg x 4 x 10

Lunges
10kg bb x 2 x 10 (per side)
10kg bb overhead x 10 into regular lunges w/ 10kg x 10

Pallof Press

Happy enough. Starting ridiculously low on the DL imo, normally I'd warm up with 60kg but because that was my working weight I had to warm up even lower!!!

That was my first day back deadlifting in about two and a half months - bodyweight x 18 isn't a bad way to be reintroduced to a lift!! My back was feeling seriously pumped after it tho, and I'm not exactly loving the DOMs I'm feeling today!

itsallaboutheL

Malteaser.............. i've been using the same weight as you for facepulls. i think im going to cry!!:)

Malteaser!

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Malteaser.............. i've been using the same weight as you for facepulls. i think im going to cry!!:)

Wave 1, Day 3

Military Press
10kg x 5
15kg x 5
20kg x 2
25kg x 1
30kg x 1 (PB)
20kg x 10

Standing One Arm DB Press
8kg DB x 5 x 10 (each side)

Close Grip Bench
20kg x 5
25kg x 4 x 8

Face Pulls
30kg x 10
37.5kg x 2 x 10
30kg x 10

Then I spent about two hours messing around with Kev and Hanley!! Learned how to do a Turkish get-up, a shovel deadlift among other things. Worked on my power snatch technique and inadvertently learned how to power clean .

Decided when I came in that I was going to need a rough 1rm on the military press so I could do the program properly - 30kg is alright I guess, considering I never train it. I actually have a video of it that I'll aim to get up later on.

Seriously feeling the imbalance with the DB OH pressing!! My left side is much weaker than the right!

Malteaser!

30kg MP from earlier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vod7i29Og4

itsallaboutheL

Did Hanley eat you too?

Hanley

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Did Hanley eat you too?

I ate her computer....

itsallaboutheL

Hanley wrote: »

I ate her computer....

well cough it up, i have to discuss the pain of smolov jr with some one else thats done it, i'm considering starting a support group.....:)