Returning from injury

brianthebard

So I've been mouthing off on the fitness forums for a while and its about time I started a training log. Was out for almost 10 months after hurting my back last year, but it seems to finally have turned the corner to be properly on the mend now. My best lifts last year were 70kgx1 bench, 120kgx2 squat and 150kgx1 deadlift. (vid to follow of this one). I'm currently 94-5kg in tee and jeans, six foot, and 23.

I started back to the gym a couple of months ago but was still limited in what I could do by my back, but now I think the only things that bother it are barbell rows and maybe deadlifts, although I've done some without too much trouble. Anyways I'll start by putting up fridays session and we'll go from there.

(From memory)

lying bench row (new thing hadn't tried out before)
bar x 8,
40kg x8,
50kgx8.

Squats.
warm up 40kgx8, 50kgx6 (I think), 80kgx20.

trap bar deadlifts.
60kgx6, x3, x6.

pull down abs.
31.25 (plates are weird in the cable machine) x8,x10,x10.
face pulls.
23.something x10x3.

Dunno what to call the row exactly, its a bench with a hole to put your face and the bar is racked underneath. It was nice cause there was no stress on the lower back, a slightly shortened rom though.

Squats were the main event friday, was fairly good, felt more solid than usual which I put down to not doing too much beforehand and a different sharper bar which my hands kept grip on much better. I started the 20 squats a few weeks ago with 60 and worked up, would like to get bodyweight in 4-6 weeks but will have to listen to my back. It was fairly tight straight after the squats but by shower time had settled down.

Did the trap bar deads because we were in a different room in the gym and I'd never used them, was pretty knackered beforehand and even more so afterwards. Nice enough exercise though.

brianthebard

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

150kg from last year. Apologies about terrible soundtrack.

Also I should mention my goals. I just want to get through the year without injuring myself again. I think if I can do that and train three times a week then I'll see some good strength and size gains, I'm already quite pleased with the weights I've been lifting the last month, I don't think I lost too much strength over the ten months for some reason.

FunkZ

Finally your logging well done man!

I'll have a keen eye on your journal and all the best.

Nice squats too!!

brianthebard

Thanks for the kind words dude.

BossArky

Good to see you are getting over the injury.

I'll be reading! :pac:

brianthebard

Edit: thanks boss.


Today;

Bench.
Warm up with bar, then 60x4, 65x3, 70x1 (fail second), 70x3.

Squats, 40xwarm up, 60x6, 70x6, 85x20.

Pulldown machine, 70x8,8,6.

Bench was ok, the one thing that bugs me about the gym in uni is there's no simple, good, flat bench. They're all overcomplicated, overwide, and different heights, or at least they feel to be. Todays was a new one, definitely a lot lower, which made things different. The bar was different too, so I think that's why I failed on the third set. Hopefully that'll work itself out in a week or two.

I forgot my cons so did squats in my socks. It wasn't too bad, a little different though. The first two groups of 5 were very quick, perhaps too much because the last 3 or 4 were some of the slowest squats I've ever done (last rep on the bench was really slow too, maybe it was just the day that was in it). That was aggravated by banging into a bar holder on the back of the rack a few times, kind of distracted me. Not sure if I'll keep going with the 20 reps to bodyweight, or to bring my belt in for the next while, or even drop them altogether. The lower back was very tight afterwards.
All in all not too bad though for a 5kg increase, but I did feel sick for ages, and eventually threw up soon after the pulldown machine, hence no assistance or rehab work. They have some nice machines in this gym, allows each arm to work independently, liked it more than a cable pulldown anyways. I think I threw up because of a dodgy sausage or two I had for breakfast, unfortunate to say the least. Felt a little off the rest of the day but didn't blow chunks again, that's something at least.

brianthebard

Today;

DB rows, with straps;
30x10, 32.5x10x2.

rolling db extension;*
7.5x6, 10x6x2.

good mornings;
40x8x3.

farmers walk;
trap bar+ 40kg; 30ftx2, +60kg; 30ftx1, 15ftx2, +80kg; 10ftx1.

calf raise machine; 100kgx10x3.

*What I thought were rolling db extensions, was actually doing them a bit wrong though, it was more of a db press/skullcrusher all in one movement.

Bit of a mixed bag today, went easy enough. Farmers walk was fun, just went up and down the weights room with the trap bar, there's about a 15-18ft space to run up and down. Really fried my grip, was fun to do. Next time though I'll drop it at the end, turn around and deadlift the weight again, or turn in a bigger circle.
Had a bit of trouble with a member of staff today, I'm actually not supposed to use that weight room cause its for people on "elite scholarships" :rolleyes: but I'm looking into sorting something out so I can use it over the summer.

brianthebard

Today;

horizontal row machine;
60kgx8x3.

incline db bench;
26kg bells, 3 sets of 4.

squats;
50x6, 70x6, 87.5x13 (wussed out)

face pulls;
21.25x 3 sets of 8.

pull down abs.
31.25 x 3 sets of ??-sore afterwards.

Disappointed with todays session. training partner was awol so went alone, had to use different bar and rack to last week which sucks, this one was so much smoother, no grip. the leg strength was there, all 13 reps felt ok, but I banged off the safeties a couple of times, and my wrists were killing me. So I wussed out. stopid cause looking back I really feel like I had the strength for all 20. Will have to wait until friday now. Also developed a stabbing pain in my elbow on the forearm side after benching, annoying. Not constant but occasionally getting at me, hopefully nothing serious.

brianthebard

Today;

Bench;
warm up with bar, 60x5, 65x3, 70x3, 72.5x2 (fail on third)

DB row with straps;
28x10, 32x8x2.

sopir sekrit lunges;
24kg 'bells, x4,x3,x3.

face pulls; 23.something x10x2.

pulldown abs;
33x25(?-stopid cable machine), x10x2.

Nothing particularly exciting today, annoyed that I failed on the last rep, first two felt solid. No leg drive for the last one though, might have made the difference. Noticed that malteaser is doing pull downs with twice the weight I am, and her squatting has been extra solid the last while it seems, yet more proof that i need to keep these up. thinking about what new programme I should be doing soon, need to change things up and follow a proper plan, but also need to mind the back. Decisions decisions. Any suggestions welcome.

Forgot to mention, the lunges gave me mild ass cramps. In a good way.

kevpants

I completely missed this log!!

Those 20 rep squat numbers are gooooood man. But they burn you out quick. I'd probably only do them every now and again.

If you want to mind your back I'd make ab work PR's a big goal. Really important.

Probably a good idea on the trap bar pulls. Build yourself up to regular deadlifting.

Good luck!

brianthebard

Woo comments! :P

Thanks dude I'm happy with how the 20 squats has gone so far. Really want to hit bodyweight before dropping though, thinking of just doing them once a week from now on. When did you start using a belt with them?
Unfortunately can't use the trap bar atm, not allowed use the facilities that's in. Hopefully I'll be given the green light soon. Gym bureaucracy nonsense. :rolleyes:

kevpants

I didn't own a belt at the time!

I'd wear it if I was doing them now. I made a decision to go beltless for ages but I had a healthy back at the time. In your case I'd say belt up!

brianthebard

Belt it is!

brianthebard

Today;

shoulder press; warm up, 40kgx5, then push press; 45x5x2.

Squats; 45 warm up, 60x6, (belt, then) 80x6, 87.5x20.

Rolling db extensions; 10kg x10x3.

face pulls 23 something x 3 sets.

ab pull downs; 33.something x10x3.

Just realised I didn't do any lat work today. It was all about the squats. Felt pretty good, chalked up to make sure it was solid, tried to tuck my elbows as much as possible. Belt was nice, when I get a bit more used to it I think it will help a lot. Felt like I still had a few squats left in me at the end which is always good. Felt very naucous though, must try eating earlier before the gym and taking a proper rest afterwards. Nothing else very exciting to report.

BossArky

brianthebard wrote: »

Noticed that malteaser is doing pull downs with twice the weight I am

How are you doing the pull downs?

Kneeling?
Standing?
Feet in front or behind of hips (if standing?)
Rope vs Metal Grip?
Arms outstretched or behind neck?

There are a good few variations and the leverage/weight moved depends on the setup. It is probably tough to compare numbers directly unless everyone is doing exactly the same thing.

brianthebard

Standing, rope grip, feet behind me, hands in front of me. Pretty much as Kev showed in his vid a while ago. I'm fairly sure that's how Malteaser does them as well. Regardless of different techniques its definitely something I need to work on a lot in the coming while. Thanks for the input.

jayoo

:pac: Man im pretty sure i saw you in the gym today, i walked in as you were on your last set of squats. Looked fecking intense.

Im not sure if ye were still there but you may have seen me fall over when i lowered the dumbells onto my knees to quick, smooth;)

DM-BM

BossArky wrote: »

It is probably tough to compare numbers directly unless everyone is doing exactly the same thing.

On exactly the same machine, once pulleys are involved you may not be moving the actual amount of weight on the stack e.g 4 10kg plates on the stack may not require 40kg of force to move it, depending on the way the pulleys are set up.

brianthebard

jayoo wrote: »

:pac: Man im pretty sure i saw you in the gym today, i walked in as you were on your last set of squats. Looked fecking intense.

Im not sure if ye were still there but you may have seen me fall over when i lowered the dumbells onto my knees to quick, smooth;)

Damn didn't see you. I guess you'll know if it was me or not cause I've never seen anyone else in there with a black powerlifting belt, if that's what you saw that's me. Say hi next time, or something cryptic to try and freak my training partner out. :pac:

jayoo

Yup it was you, some good squating, nice and deep.

next time i will jump up on your back and you can squat me, ya pretty sure that will freak him out a tad:pac:

kevpants

Don't compare stacks weights from what other people are doing, every stack weighs a different amount. For example on one stack in TF I do pull-throughs with 85kg and on another I do 45kg and they are equally difficult.

brianthebard

Today;

Bench; warmup then 60x5,65x3,70x3,75x1, (fail second)

assisted chins; bw (95kg?)-19x3, -26x3x2.

db rows; 26kgx16, x8,x8.

Squats; 50x6, 60x4, 80x3, (belt on then) 100x3, 120x3, 130x1, 135x1 (spotter touched )

pulldown abs, 33.xx x10, 36x10x2.

tricep pulldown with rope for the lolz (three sets)

Training partner got it into his head that he wanted to do max squats today so that's what we did. He got 80kgx1, at a bodyweight of 71/72, which is pretty good considering he's only squatting about 6 weeks. I was happy with my numbers too, finding it hard to not count the 135, he put his fingers lightly on my side, not counting it as a pb though. Would be dangerous precedent. think my ass rises before anything else, could be a problem in the future. Unfortunately no vids, kingfisher don't allow cameras, I asked before about it but didn't get a real answer why (perhaps some guys were perving on stepper girls? dunno) Think there could be a few kilos more there though, especially if I work on the form a bit more. I think 92.5x20 should be handy enough friday or saturday too, now that I've worked up to a max. Finally, looks like I lost very little strength over the past ten months, considering I've only been back training 10 weeks and squatting for 5 or 6 or those. Did lose some size but hopefully in time that'll come back. decent day all in all.

kevpants

Good stuff man! 135kg was my PR this time last year so maybe you'll be up on a platform sooner rather than later.

Tried your lunges the other night, kept falling over. I'm obviously doing them wrong. Maybe you should vid them, obviously you can't in your gym ,but I know I'm not getting it.

brianthebard

Thanks man, I did start to play with dates in my head, if there was something on around September I might be tempted to get some experience for next year. I'll video them as soon as possible, but yeah it is hard to stay stable with them. Maybe lower the weight a little for now, and try to make the foot slide back from the long lunge position smoother? Do you fall over even when not using any weight?

jayoo

I have seen some polish lads with cameras taking videos, and the guys working there didnt say a word.

some good squating aswell

itsallaboutheL

i missed this dam log as well!

good stuff man

brianthebard

jayoo wrote: »

I have seen some polish lads with cameras taking videos, and the guys working there didnt say a word.

some good squating aswell

Cool, I'll see what I can do next week. Hoping to do 92.5x20 tomorrow, and bodyweight next week, will definitely want to video that if I get it!

jayoo

i got 80 for 20 few days ago, was nasty nasty:pac:
100kg for 20 would be a beautiful thing .

Malteaser!

If i were you I wouldn't ask bout the camera, just take it in. It probably is their policy not to allow people use them but one that's not actually enforced however when people ask they're sorta obliged to say no.

brianthebard wrote: »

Thanks man, I did start to play with dates in my head, if there was something on around September I might be tempted to get some experience for next year.

The only thing that's on in September is the World Single Lift Champs but unfortunately you woulda have had to qualify at the start of the year. So you're sorta stuck with hanging on till the single championships or the national championships, early next year!!

BossArky

Malteaser! wrote: »

If i were you I wouldn't ask bout the camera, just take it in. It probably is their policy not to allow people use them but one that's not actually enforced however when people ask they're sorta obliged to say no.

+1. Don't ask them, just be discreet.

I was once reprimanded for having someone video me in the swimming pool. Lol. I was trying to video my front crawl after reading "total immersion". Does sound kind of pervy when I write it like that

Nice squat!

brianthebard

Malteaser! wrote: »

If i were you I wouldn't ask bout the camera, just take it in. It probably is their policy not to allow people use them but one that's not actually enforced however when people ask they're sorta obliged to say no.

The only thing that's on in September is the World Single Lift Champs but unfortunately you woulda have had to qualify at the start of the year. So you're sorta stuck with hanging on till the single championships or the national championships, early next year!!

They have signs on the door on the way in though saying no cameras so its kind of hard to pretend you don't know. I think I'll sneak into the other section of the gym when videoing, they have better bars and racks there as well. Hoping the guy in charge of that place will get back to us soon. That's ok about waiting until next year, probably better for me in the long run, would've just liked to get some experience before the first proper comp next year, assuming all goes well between now and then, fingers, toes, spinal discs crossed!

Also, thanks boss! Felt great to lift heavier than I ever have before on the squat, real confidence boost.