Squats, Squats, Squats

brianthebard

Agree with cardio, it doesn't seem that big a gap. Podge's squat and dead are almost exactly where Kevpants was last year, and his bench is maybe 10kg's less than Kev's I think? Not really a huge discrepancy imo at least.

podge57

Thanks lads, was happy with how the day went. Deadlift was close, but at least I know I can do it

On the bench thing, not being built for it is one factor. I was also about a year into lifting before I started bencing, just never an exercise that I liked.

My technique is poor too, and I dont have much consistancy in my bench training, but those are 2 things which will change in the next few months, so hopefully I can bring it up to par

Pavel66

There is obviously nothing wrong with your squat and deadlift. Even though you are not perfectly built for benching , it is definitely your weakpoint.

I haven' t studied your log but you should think about ways to improve your bench. Regardless of arm lenght etc, your overall body Strength is so high that I reckon you can bench at least 130.

This would go some way to giving you the magical 600 total

podge57

Pavel66 wrote: »

There is obviously nothing wrong with your squat and deadlift. Even though you are not perfectly built for benching , it is definitely your weakpoint.

I haven' t studied your log but you should think about ways to improve your bench. Regardless of arm lenght etc, your overall body Strength is so high that I reckon you can bench at least 130.

This would go some way to giving you the magical 600 total

Yep, my squat and DL have gone up alot lately, so bench is where I have the biggest room for improvement.

I dont think there is any magic to it - I just need to focus on it more and train it more consistantly

I will go out on a limb here - I am going to be more consistant and put more effort in to my bench training and I will bench 125kg by March!

podge57

- Exams are over, so time to get back to more important stuff. Havent done anything except run for the bus this week. Was trying to ease myself back into things.
- I was focusing on keeping my knees out and chest up when squatting. They felt decent, pretty slow though. The floor press against bands was just for fun

Squat
20kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
140kg x 3
160kg x 3
180kg x 3
140kg x 10

Bench
20kg x 8
20kg x 8
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 10
95kg x 5

Floor Press w/ Minis
20kg x 8
60kg x 7
70kg x 7
80kg x 5
90kg x 3

Pulldowns
15
15

JJayoo

I was focusing on keeping my knees out and chest up when squatting

This reminded me of this video

http://www.youtube.com/thedieselcrew#p/u/22/Hdl-Ga3yuAg


Its from the diesel crew

podge57

JJayoo wrote: »

This reminded me of this video

http://www.youtube.com/thedieselcrew#p/u/22/Hdl-Ga3yuAg


Its from the diesel crew

Thanks, definitely going to work these into my warmup - could be just what I need!

podge57

- Today went well - I was mainly focusing on fixing some technique issues when squatting, which I mentioned on Friday. Warmed up well, and was happy enough the squats - kept knees out a bit better, and my chest stayed up too. Moved my hands in closer, which helped, but was extremely painful - you can see my wrists/elbows are all over the place at the end of the set

Squat
30kg x 3 x 6
60kg x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
140kg x 3
160kg x 2
175kg x 5
175kg x 3
140kg x 3 (Paused)
120kg x 3 (Paused)

Bench
20kg x 2 x 8
40kg x 8
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 8
82.5kg x 6
90kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 5

Pullups
3 x 5

Pushups
3 x 10

Ab Pulldown
2 x 20

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

podge57

My training up to the nationals will look like this

Mon: Squat (Heavy) Bench (Medium)

Wed: Squat (Light) Deadlift

Fri: Squat (Heavy) Bench (Heavy)

I have all the number, sets etc written out, but Im too lazy to type them here

For the firts few weeks, there will be lots of volume, but as the weights start to increase, I will drop the volume

cardio,shoot me

nice squats dude! very long pause.

just a thought, have you tried using a thumbless grip and having just your palms on the bars? i found it was less painful.

podge57

cardio,shoot me wrote: »

nice squats dude! very long pause.

just a thought, have you tried using a thumbless grip and having just your palms on the bars? i found it was less painful.

Thanks, I tried a thumbless grip on the 160 warmup and it was painful too, also makes it hard to stop the bar rolling

I think I might need to place the bar a bit higher too

podge57

- Great session today. Squats were good, only took 90 secs between sets, so I was pretty gassed by the end.
- Deadlifts felt good too, but today was my first heavy deadlift day in 4 weeks (apart from the comp), and my hands must have softened up a bit. I was struggling to hold the bar at the top, and on the way down. My hands were torn to bits, and I ripped open the mother of all callouses. Going to do sets with straight weight one week, then work up to a heavy set the next.
- The 1 arm presses are like those @ 30 secs in this vid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57pv_1j4dH0&feature=player_embedded#at=32), except I didnt use any leg drive. The weights listed exclude the bar

Squat (All Beltless)
20kg x 2 x 6
60kg x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 8
120kg x 8
120kg x 8
120kg x 8

Deadlift
60kg x 5
100kg x 3
140kg x 3
180kg x 1
205kg x 3
205kg x 3
205kg x 3
205kg x 3
205kg x 3

1 Arm Press
20kg x 15
30kg x 10
35kg x 8

Lat Pulldown
2 x 15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVY0oZbX9Dc

podge57

Pic of said callous(es)

podge57

- Glad this session is over. Was at the doc. for a check-up, got some blood taken, and I've felt really drowsy and light-headed since then. Not sure if I should have lifted, but I did. Squats felt good enough - knees kicked in on a few reps, but they're definitely improving.
- Bench was easy, Ill be going a bit heavier next week. Didnt do any assistance b/c I was too tired. I'll try and get some done 2moro

Squat
20kg x 6
60kg x 2 x 5
100kg x 3
140kg x 3
167.5kg x 4
167.5kg x 4
167.5kg x 4
167.5kg x 4
180kg x 3

Bench
20kg x 8
20kg x 8
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
82.5kg x 5
82.5kg x 5
92.5kg x 3
92.5kg x 3
102.5kg x 1


vid later

podge57

Todays video

My camera skills were a bit rubbish today

*Warning: very short shorts. May not be suitable for younger audiences *

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Re-uqMiQR8

podge57

Ive decided to scrap my original plan for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I was trying to do too many things at once, and it was just too much. I think I have to realise I am not really a begineer anymore, so I need to take a bit of a different approach

Lately, I have been feeling great training on certain days, and on other days Ive felt really week. Chasing numbers has meant that even when I feel weak, I still try and stick to the plan. This is what happened on Friday, and I ended up feeling drained for days afterwards.

So I have decided to give Mike Tuscherers RTS system a go. I have read the manual and understand it. Heres an overview for anyone who is interested
http://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com/articles/training-articles/81-an-rts-overview
I think it will suit me well because I can squat, bench and deadlift regularly, and change things depending on how I feel.

I suppose the biggest difference between this are the RPEs which you will see after a set
Heres a breakdown
10- Maximal. No reps left in the tank.

9- Last rep is tough, but still 1 rep left in the tank.

8- Weight is too heavy to maintain fast bar speed, but is not a struggle. 2-4 reps left.

7- Weight moves quickly when maximal force is applied to the weight. “Speed weight”

6- Light speed work. Moves quickly with moderate force.

5- Most warm-up weights

4- Recovery. Usually 20+ rep sets. Not hard, but intended to flush the muscle.

http://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com/articles/training-articles/49-chapter-2

podge57

- Todays session felt pretty good. Benching was great, all the reps moved quickly, and my setup was good. Struggled a bit with deads - my ankle ligaments were really stiff, and I was struggling to get down to the bar without lifting my heels up. My hand seems to be swelling up every week after deads now, not sure what is causing this, but its pretty annoying


Warm Up
Band Pull-apart: 2 x 15
BW Row: 2 x 12

Bench: Est 1rm= 125kg
20kg x 2 x 8
50kg x 2 x 5

80kg x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 6.5 RPE - 63% of 1RM
100kg x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 79% of 1RM
100kg x 3 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 79% of 1RM
100kg x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 79% of 1RM

CG Bench: Est 1rm= 115kg
80kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 70% of 1RM
80kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 70% of 1RM
80kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 70% of 1RM

Deadlift: Est 1rm= 245kg
80kg x 5
100kg x 3
140kg x 3

180kg x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 74% of 1RM
215kg x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 88% of 1RM
215kg x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 88% of 1RM
205kg x 2 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 84% of 1RM

3 Count Paused Squat: Est 1rm= 170kg
60kg x 5
100kg x 5

115kg x 7 reps x 3 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 67% of 1RM

brianthebard

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/ankles.htm

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/ailing_ankles.htm

might be worth a look.

podge57

brianthebard wrote: »

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/ankles.htm

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/ailing_ankles.htm

might be worth a look.

Thanks - Im just after running through a few of the exercises there, and my ankles seem to be loosening up a bit.

I did a load of running last night which is definitely what caused the stiffness. I dont think my ankles are used to supporting a 105kg frame - when I used to run regularly, I was 75kg :eek:

brianthebard

Lol that's some epic weight gain you've achieved so far man, well done. I don't have any real ankle problems, but I have one or two drills I do before squats which loosen them out, otherwise I can feel a bit of stiffness. The other night my right heel was lifting slightly off the ground, first time that's happened. Anyways I reckon like foam rolling or whatever else, a week or so of working your ankle mobility will start to yield noticeable results.

cardio,shoot me

im soo glad someone is doing mikes program! i was close to giving it a shot but i didnt have enough cash left over to buy his book, its like 50 bucks of lifting large!

podge57

brianthebard wrote: »

Lol that's some epic weight gain you've achieved so far man, well done. I don't have any real ankle problems, but I have one or two drills I do before squats which loosen them out, otherwise I can feel a bit of stiffness. The other night my right heel was lifting slightly off the ground, first time that's happened. Anyways I reckon like foam rolling or whatever else, a week or so of working your ankle mobility will start to yield noticeable results.

Yeah, I think Im up about 30kg in 2.5 years, cant complain

I think I will work a couple of drills into my warmup too. Ive never really had problems with them before, but a little bit of extra flexibility can only be a good thing

cardio,shoot me wrote: »

im soo glad someone is doing mikes program! i was close to giving it a shot but i didnt have enough cash left over to buy his book, its like 50 bucks of lifting large!

Its a good book, hopefully I wont end up messing it up. What I like about it is the that there is some sort of structure to it, but I can work my own style into it

podge57

- Great session today, everything felt good. Kept the squats fairly light - I wanted to focus on speed, and they were all pretty quick and easy. Inclines were really easy, I havent done them in ages, so I didnt know what to expect, but I will definitely up the weight next time
- Original plan was to do sumo dl's, but I need to let my hand heal a bit, so I went with GM's off pins, and focused on pushing my hips through - which should help both my squat and deadlift

Squat - 1RM: 214kg
20kg x 5 reps x 2 sets
60kg x 5 reps x 1 sets
100kg x 3 reps x 1 sets

140kg x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 65% of 1RM
155kg x 5 reps x 4 sets @ 8 RPE - 73% of 1RM
165kg x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 77% of 1RM

Incline Bench - 1RM: 104kg
20kg x 10 reps x 1 sets
40kg x 8 reps x 1 sets

60kg x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 6 RPE - 59% of 1RM
72.5kg x 6 reps x 2 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 70% of 1RM
72.5kg x 6 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 70% of 1RM

Pin GM - 1RM: 107kg
60kg x 5 reps x 1 sets
80kg x 5 reps x 1 sets

90kg x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 63% of 1RM
105kg x 5 reps x 3 sets @ 8 RPE - 74% of 1RM

Standing AB Fallout
3 x 8

Lat Pulldown
20,15

podge57

- V. happy with my squats today. It was the most comfortable I've ever felt with 180kg+. Think I could have had 7 reps on the first set.
- With the template I'm using, todays pressing was supposed to have a focus on my lockout, but I still wanted to use a full ROM, hence the reverse bands. Not sure how much they took off at the bottom, but with 22.5kg, the bar floated at chest height, so I'm guessing around 22.5kg? (I was never good at maths/physics, so this could be way off )
- Some of the estimated 1rms are a bit high, especially for pressing exercises, but I don't think thats a big deal for tracking progress

Squat - 1RM: 227kg
20kg x 2 x 5
60kg x 5
100kg x 3
140kg x 3

160kg x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 70% of 1RM
180kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 79% of 1RM
180kg x 4 reps x 2 sets @ 9 RPE - 79% of 1RM
170kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 75% of 1RM

Reverse Mini Press - 1RM: 160kg
20kg x 2 x 8
60kg x 5
80kg x 5

102.5kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 64% of 1RM
122.5kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 77% of 1RM
122.5kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 77% of 1RM
112.5kg x 42 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 70% of 1RM

Floor Press - 1RM: 125kg
60kg x 5

80kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 63% of 1RM
90kg x 6 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 71% of 1RM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgyzHyQU9-g

podge57

- Today was great - got loads of volume in. Bnching feels like its finally starting to go somewhere - all the sets were relatively easy, and I think 105x3 is a PR too. Got vids from a few different angles to look at technique. One thing I noticed is wy elbows are way out in front of the bar, although if I had them in line, I would probably touch the bar on my stomach, because my arms are so long.
- Took a 45mins break after benching before I deadlifted. The first few sets were nice and fast, but then my hand started swelling up again. Not sure why this keeps happening, but hopefully it won't be as bad when I start cutting back on volume and go heavier

Bench - 1RM: 131kg
20kg x 2 x 8
60kg x 5
75kg x 5

87.5kg x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 6.5 RPE - 67% of 1RM
105kg x 3 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 80% of 1RM
105kg x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 80% of 1RM
100kg x 4 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 76% of 1RM

CGBP - 1RM: 120kg
80kg x 6 reps x 2 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 67% of 1RM
85kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 71% of 1RM
85kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 71% of 1RM

Deadlift - 1RM: 250kg
60kg x 5
100kg x 5
140kg x 5

185kg x 5 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 74% of 1RM
185kg x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 74% of 1RM
185kg x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 74% of 1RM

3ct Pause Squat - 1RM: 155kg
60kg x 5
80kg x 5

105kg x 7 reps x 1 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 67% of 1RM
105kg x 7 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 67% of 1RM

Pullups
8,6,6

Pulldowns
15,15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB97RSvSrcc

podge57

- Had to change my plans today. It was way too cold to lift at home - it was 0° for most of the day today, and there was a lot of freezing fog. I couldn't get warmed up at all, and I didn't think I would have had a very productive session. I ended up going to a gym, and couldn't do exactly what I wanted, but I got a decent bit done.
- Squats felt pretty good - I was using a bar with no centre knurling, and I had no chalk, so I had to go high-bar for today
- Also managed to win myself €50 worth of meat and a free massage at a pub quiz last night

Squat - 1RM: 226kg
160kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 71% of 1RM
165kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 73% of 1RM
170kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 75% of 1RM
170kg x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 75% of 1RM

Incline DB - 1RM: 86kg
40kg x 8
52kg x 6

56kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 64% of 1RM
60kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 70% of 1RM
60kg x 6 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 70% of 1RM

BB Row - 1RM: 120kg
50kg x 8
70kg x 6

85kg x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 7.5 RPE - 70% of 1RM
85kg x 6 reps x 2 sets @ 8 RPE - 70% of 1RM

JJayoo

Also managed to win myself €50 worth of meat and a free massage at a pub quiz last night

Haha what a great prize.

podge57

JJayoo wrote: »

Haha what a great prize.

yup, Free meat FTW!

It was actually 2 seperate prizes in a raffle - out of 200+ people, my tickets got pulled out twice in a row

cardio,shoot me

podge, did you do 60kg dumbells for reps

podge57

cardio,shoot me wrote: »

podge, did you do 60kg dumbells for reps

I wish - it was the 30's. I just used the combined weight for logging purposes