Don't let the coward in your head, control the badass in your heart

COH

Bench Press (Narrow Grip)
60kg (3x15)
80kg x15
100kg x15
120kg x5
135kg x2
*Paused Reps/Rehbands/wrist wraps*
150kg (7x3) ... PR

Incline Bench Press (Narrow Grip)
60kg x8
80kg x8
100kg x8
120kg x8

Decline Bench (Narrow Grip)
60kg x12
80kg x12
100kg x12
120kg x12

Have been benching on Wednesdays lately (I take the first half of Wednesdays off to sleep in as I work early Saturdays) so as to come in fresh and rested, but I'm out tonight for pints so bumped training up a day. A bit sucky doing anything on 4 hours sleep but everything went great regardless. 150kg is the most I've paused for a single in comp and in training too. So yeah, I'm happy with seven triples I wanted to do an eighth set but my spotter disappeared so just moved onto the incline/decline stuff which also felt good and strong.

Lee Priest seminar in work this evening, should be fun. Met him there this morning and he's still pretty much in contest shape after winning the overall at the NABBA Universe show in Stockport so fingers crossed he does a bit of posing after the Q&A.

COH

Trained as usual all week - not worth logging.

Today


Bench (Narrow Grip)
60kg x15
80kg x15
100kg x15
120kg x5
*Paused Reps*
140kg x5
*Wrist Wraps/Rehbands*
160kg x2 (10kg PR)
*Touch and go*
140kg x8

Incline Bench
60kg x20
80kg x20
100kg x20


Inner ear bullsh*t wrecking my life all week, balance and focus is a bit off as a result. Have taken a break from caffeine too - testing your bench with no morning coffee or pre-workout is negative craic.

No real interest in training today - Bench was around where I thought it would be, I'll probably run that sheiko program off 160 when I get back from Prague.

COH

Today - Curls, with a sakari bar, and eleiko plates... out of a monolift... at a world championships in Prague. I'm calling that a comp PR!

kevpants

May I?

As you know I deal with lobsided issues too and I see tonnes of similarities between our issues, so here's what I'm doing about it.

My theory is that we have stronged ourselves into a corner with the big lifts, squats in particular. I can't train heavy competition style squats without strengthening the muscles that are already too strong as far as balance goes. Basically my big "go to" muscles will fire if I put myself into the position of having mid 200kg on my back in a belt with my strongest stance etc. The only thing this can achieve is to further increase the disfunction by increasing the disparity between the muscles that work and the ones that don't. I think you're the same.

Stuart McGill says, "If you put the body in the right position the right muscles will fire". He's dead right, and that is why squatting heavy, low bar, 250kg etc can't work for me at the moment.

So I've decided to change the position I'm in when I train squats and pulls. I dropped the belt, I'm doing high bar, I'm stopping as soon as I lose the shape I'm trying to maintain throughout the lift. I'm not saying you should do any of these exact things but you have bits that aren't pulling their weight so you need to put your body in the position that they have no choice but to.

You have to train squats. But you have to do it in a different position because of what McGill say's above. I don't think (in my opinion) that the answer lies in not squatting and doing the pre/re-hab work and then going back squatting heavy again. I think that's bandaid stuff. Like you said this is long term, if you saw the pissy weights I'm moving at the moment you'd laugh. But I feel stronger than I have in a while. I think my balls to the wall sets of 3 with 160kg with a hi bar, no belt and with an upright solid trunk is building me beyond 600lb. Of course I could be wrong.

Totally my opinion and I have literally no qualifications. Literally none.

Hanley

Have to say high bar squats up to 145kg with 3 second negatives transformed my squat earlier this year.

Squatted 120-145 4x6-8 @ 30x0 over a 6 week period and hit 210k beltless off it. Was properly ludicrous.

I buy Kev's theory.

COH

Kev - Awesome post and 100% agree. Will reply in detail when I have access to better wifi.

Glad to hear your training is going in the right direction. Are you doing the GPC Open?

amazingemmet

Kevs Theory = pattern overload if you want more info on it.

kevpants

COH wrote: »

Kev - Awesome post and 100% agree. Will reply in detail when I have access to better wifi.

Glad to hear your training is going in the right direction. Are you doing the GPC Open?

Nah I only have time to train twice a week at the moment and I'm quite happy to let my strength simmer away the way it's going before going "competition style" next year.

amazingemmet wrote: »

Kevs Theory = pattern overload if you want more info on it.

Cool it has a name. Bog reading for later!

COH

So - A long overdue update that I'm not overly keen to do, but how and ever...

Some of this may be repeating what I had logged already but for the sake of accountability and to stop me having to read through all my old stuff I'll long story short the past 4-6 months. After getting my squat back on track last September I have slowly circld the drain strength-wise. An attempt to squat 240x5 the following week ended up in an uncomfortable and disappointing single, the following week I peaked out on 180 for a miserable single and then after that I was too sore to squat 60. This has ebbed and flowed somewhat over the past few months but the net result was minimal training south of the nipples. Having pulled 220x5 around the same time as the 260x3 squat my deadlifting closely followed my squat into the toilet. MRIs came back clear of any blatant structural damage, however I got to the point that my back started to ache (in no particular single place, just all of it.. which is new) while walking to work etc.

Around the same time as I lost the ability to train in the way that I enjoyed I also started having really bad reactions to caffeine and developed some sort of mild anxiety disorder compliments of the caffeine and an on-going bout of vertigo. To be honest I found all that side of thing to be pretty embarrassing, but have learnt to just get on with it. The net result of that being that I quit all pre-workouts, coffee, red bull, sports drinks and tea because it was setting alarm bells ringing in my nervous system. Went to Prague last September with Daz to help him out at the WPC world championships. Didn't go great for him, didn't go great for me either... the vertigo meant that my balance and depth perception were off, and I felt like I was living life at an angle to everything. Literally felt for about 2 months that everything was on a slant.. which truly sucked the cosmic wang. After a double espresso landed me hooked up to and ECG in a Czech hospital convinced I was about to have a coronary event (quite a funny story in retrospect, but not so much at the time!) I came home and ended up having an MRI of my head to make sure the balance issues weren't a result of something sinister and more tests on my ticker to make sure there wasn't an underlying problem. They weren't.. I really REALLY do miss having a morning coffee though.

Long story short - Loads of MRIs and other scans, all were clear. Blood work done, everything came back perfect. Vertigo meds crushed the balance problems and it became clear that I'm pretty damn healthy despite my bodies attempts to convince me otherwise. The entire episode was draining beyond measure. If anyone here as ever had an anxiety attack for no reason you'll know what I mean, and vertigo in itself is a cruel c*nt of a sickness. When tired I'd usually drink coffee to keep me going but having quit that I ended up training pretty sporadically - and then decided to clean up my diet to compensate for the lack of movement.

Bodyweight around Christmas was just over 106kg, currently walking around at about 98ish and if you have the misfortune of reading my endless stream of garbage on facebook you'll know that my diet is almost paleo, high in fats and protein and for the fiist time in my life loaded with fresh green stuff. I wasn't really trying to drop weight, just eat clean - but I'm 3-4 notches in on my belt now from where I was training for comps last year despite getting close to 10,000kcals a week from my new favourite addiction: nut butters.

I've changed physios in the mean time to get to the bottom of my back pain. As far as he is concerned its a lack of stability that is the major contributor so I am working on that at the moment. Have squatted 4 times since October last, first session I did 180x1, second session 180x5, third session 180x10 and last session I had to pull the plug on 140... so LOTS of work to do and the spcialist wants me to get more imaging done to rue out a stress fracture so that's in the pipeline soon. Having found training mind-numbingly boring without any clear direction I figured I may as well start logging again to keep things moving forwards. Provisional plan is to avoid axial loading (apart from demoing for clients etc which is all fine) train upper/lower/upper/lower for a while and get myself into a position to compete again at some point in the future. I quit working for RAW recently too so am full time freelance coaching, powerlifting has therefore fallen very far down the priority list, but I reckon I'll be back for the GPC Worlds in Vegas next year. Here is the provisional plan for training over the coming weeks (not including the rehab/mobility/stability stuff because I'm not bothered typing all that out)... Once healthy I've proven 2 or 3 times now that I'm only ever 6-8 weeks away from a 600lb squat/deadlift so when the time comes to put the hammer down I should be in a good position to bring some pain....


A Assisted Chin Up 5xVarying Tension
B Inverted Ring Row 5xAMRAP
C Ring Dips 8x5
D Back Extension 5x10
E1Straight Bar Curl 3x15
E2Band Pressdown 3x15
F1Hammer Curl3x15
F2Band Extension3x15

A Goblet Squat 8x5
B Barbell Hip Thrust 5x8
C GHR 5xAMRAP
D Step Up 3x8/8
E1 Weighted Plank 1MIN
E2 Band Woodchoppper 20/20
F2 Weighted Sit Up 20
F2 Pallof Press 20/20

A Bench Press + Chains 5x5
B Swiss Bar Bench 5x8
C Lat Pulldown 5x10
D Seated Row 5x15
E Lat Raise 3x15
E2 Band Pull Apart 3x15
F1 Reverse Fly 3x15
F2 Shrugs 3x15

A Trab Bar Deadlift 8x5
B Leg Press 5x8
C Reverse Hyper 5xAMRAP
D Split Squat 3x8/8
E1 Band Pulldown 4x20
E2 Russian Twist 20/20
F1 Hanging Leg Raise20
F2 Side Plank 30/30


I feel, for all intents and purposes, completely detrained right now - but feelings are for c*nts so I'm excited about getting back down to business.

WARNING - this log might not be too interesting for the next while, and I may end up posting low carb recipes and all that sh*t too because apparently I am one of those people now.

Hanley

COH wrote: »

Went to Prague last September with Daz to help him out at the WPC world championships [....] depth perception were off

So it was your fault...

kevpants

Hanley wrote: »

So it was your fault...

LOL I was thinking the same thing.

Did you tell Daz that his spotter was liable to have a panic attack and attempt to run out of the room only to crash into a load of tables mid squat?

Great update though, the secret to anxiety disorders is to embrace them and use them. I know my progress would be a fraction of what it is if I didn't have at least 2 certifiable mental illnesses working in the background.

COH

A Assisted Chin Up
Heavy band/medium band/light band/mini band x Max Reps
B Inverted Ring Row - 5 x Millions
C Ring Dips 5 x Not many
D Back Extension 5x10
E1Straight Bar Curl 3x15
E2Band Pressdown 3x15
F1Hammer Curl3x15
F2Band Extension3x15

I have done next to no vertical pulling lately and my right shoulder is carrying a bit of a knock so kept everything light so as to reintroduce movement without bowing myself up. Ring Dips were humbling, I was about as graceful as Muhammed Ali having a **** on a swiss-ball. Back extensions felt great, and everything else was purely for my ego. Arms in ribbons today.

A Goblet Squat - 30/35/40/45/50/55/60kg x5
B Barbell Hip Thrust 65kg (5x8)
C GHR 5x10
D Step Up - 3x8/8 @16kg offset on opposite side to elevated foot
E1 Weighted Plank 1MIN
E2 Band Woodchoppper 20/20
F2 Weighted Sit Up 20
F2 Pallof Press 20/20

Forgot how boring goblet squatting is... it sure beats doing nothing but doesn't make for interesting reading. Hip thrusts felt great, had my upper back on a bench and really focused on keeping myself rape-proof in extension. Haven't done any consistent core work in years so I'll probably be unable to get out of bed tomorrow. 2 very handy days done - looking forward to benching with chains on Saturday

COH

Bench + 40kg Chain
Bar 3x5
40kg x5
60kg x5
80kg x5
100kg x3
110kg x1
120kg x1
130kg x1

Swiss Bar Bench
(Bar unknown weight... probably <10kg
+20kg x8
+40kg x8
+60kg x8
+80kg x5
+100kg x5

Lat Pulldown (5x10)
Seated Row (5x10)

Lat Raise + Band Pullapart (4x10/10)

Shrugs + Rev. Fly (4x10/10)

Bench is set up so that about half the chain deloads so last heavy single was around 150kg off the chest and 170kg at lockout. Ill keep the weight lower and volume higher going forwards just wanted to establish a reference point to start with. Swiss bar minced my triceps... I think I am going to enjoy the next 6 weeks or so of training

Kev M

Parts in that big update just described exactly what happened to me 2 years ago, and still to a small extent... Was eating like a fat b**tard, slamming caffeine like crazy, and then the fun began. Vertigo (Living at a slant is good description), and then the epic panic attacks probably as a result. Were a few times when I did well not to hit the deck! Thought it was to do with something I had when I was very young, had the MRI's and bloods done, but realised soon after stopping the coffee loaded with jack3d and eating like I was a 400lbs man locked in Burger King, and going more in the direction of a disgruntled vegan, that it was probably just my body saying stop.

COH

Kev M wrote: »

Parts in that big update just described exactly what happened to me 2 years ago, and still to a small extent... Was eating like a fat b**tard, slamming caffeine like crazy, and then the fun began. Vertigo (Living at a slant is good description), and then the epic panic attacks probably as a result. Were a few times when I did well not to hit the deck! Thought it was to do with something I had when I was very young, had the MRI's and bloods done, but realised soon after stopping the coffee loaded with jack3d and eating like I was a 400lbs man locked in Burger King, and going more in the direction of a disgruntled vegan, that it was probably just my body saying stop.

Once your nervous system starts acting like everything is a threat it can be hard to break the cycle. Wouldn't wish it on anyone!


Trap Bar Deadlift
65kg (2x5)
1005kg (2x5)
145kg (2x5)
175kg x5

Leg Press
100kg x8
150kg x8
200kg x8
250kg x8
300kg x8

Revere Hyper
(5x10)

Split Squats - Unweighted
(3x8)

Band Pulldown 4x20
Russian Twist 20/20
Hanging Leg Raise20
Side Plank 30/30


Handy enough session - still training well within myself. Discovered spaghetti made out of rice, ginger and pumpkin yesterday, its all sorts of awesome. Ate the entire pack with 4 chicken fillets and veg in about 3 seconds flat. Made crisps out of sweet potato too which also rocked that I had as part of a cheat(ish) meal with dark chocolate rice cakes covered in cashew butter. They wouldn't have looked out of place in one of the Marks & Spencer food porn adds. Decent enough first weeks back training with any kind of structure, its been months since I trained 4 times in a week.

COH

A Assisted Chin Up 2xHeavy/2xMedium/2xLight/1xMini/1xBW
B Inverted Ring Row 5xAMRAP
C Dips 5x10... Shoulder no likey
D Back Extension 5x10 +40kg
E1Straight Bar Curl 3x15
E2Band Pressdown 3x15
F1Hammer Curl 3x15
F2Band Extension 3x15


Standard.

COH

A Goblet Squat - 30/40/50/60/70kg x5
B Barbell Hip Thrust 65/85/105kg x8
C GHR 5x10 
D Elevated Split Squat 3x8/8 +40kg
E1 Weighted Plank 1MIN
E2 Band Woodchoppper 20/20
F2 Weighted Sit Up 20
F2 Pallof Press 20/20

Graaaaaaaaaaaand

COH

The article in the papers today about smoking/high protein diets got me thinking about when I quit smoking years ago - back then I used running to offset the nicotine withdrawals associated with smoking 20+ a day for years then going cold turkey. I pretty much just ran every time I felt like crap. So - in the spirit of that I went for a run this evening for sh*ts and giggles.

Note to self - run more. It purifies the soul.

Then had a steak for dinner.

Sangre

COH wrote: »

The article in the papers today about smoking/high protein diets got me thinking about when I quit smoking years ago - back then I used running to offset the nicotine withdrawals associated with smoking 20+ a day for years then going cold turkey. I pretty much just ran every time I felt like crap. So - in the spirit of that I went for a run this evening for sh*ts and giggles.

Note to self - run more. It purifies the soul.

Then had a steak for dinner.

Correlation does not equal causation.

Clearly it was the steak that purified your soul...

COH

Day before yesterday

Bench Press + 50kg chain at lock out
bar (2x10)
40kg x5
60kg x5
80kg x5
100kg (2x3)

Swiss Bar
+20kg x8
+40kg x8
+60kg x8 .... and strained my pec

Left it at that - was tired going into the session and even though everything else planned was just accessory work I didn't want to risk making a very minor pec issue one a larger one like last time. Slightly annoyed though as the swiss bar was veeeery light.

Phil Learney came in to train in Raw on Friday, absolute gentleman, a f*cking beast and one of the most knowledgeable guys I've ever met. Went to his seminar on Saturday on advanced nutritional strategies, an expensive affair at over 200e for the day but have to say it was well worth the ticket price. If you have a chance to see him at any stage I'd definitely recommend it. Here he is making me feel small (I've a bigger head though... victory is mine)





Post script - Pec is feeling quite tender today so I skipped training in favour of a swim. All I need now is a Bunsen Burger because everyone keeps telling me how amazing it is, then on to see the 301, or 300 part two, or whatever its called.

Hanley

****.Now I want a bunsen burger.

kevpants

COH wrote: »

The article in the papers today about smoking/high protein diets got me thinking about when I quit smoking years ago - back then I used running to offset the nicotine withdrawals associated with smoking 20+ a day for years then going cold turkey. I pretty much just ran every time I felt like crap. So - in the spirit of that I went for a run this evening for sh*ts and giggles.

Note to self - run more. It purifies the soul.

Then had a steak for dinner.

Running is awesome. I can't wait to get back to it after the IPOs.

The fear of combining running with being strong is so ridiculous, yet HIIT is totally fine. Alex Viada would like a word...

COH

Hectic day meant I couldn't find time to get the session I wanted to do in so I got 30mins mobility/rehab in this morning (hips/glutes/hamstrings/calves) then did a quick tempo arms session between clients because one of them was late. 24 reps each exercise back to back at varying tempo...

Super Set 1 - Band Press-down/EZ Bar Curl
A1 50X0 x8
A2 2010 x8
A3 1111 x8
(4sets)

Super Set 2 - DB Curl/Band Kickback
B1 50X0 x8
B2 2010 x8
B3 1111 x8
(4sets)

Super Set 3 - OH Band Extension/Straight bar curl
C1 50X0 x8
C2 2010 x8
C3 1111 x8
(4sets)

I enjoyed that far more then I probably should have, f*ck all weight/band resistance required - I'll file it away under pec rehab/summers coming

RidleyRider

What does 1111 tempo look like?

COH

RidleyRider wrote: »

What does 1111 tempo look like?

1 second concentric, 1 second pause, 1 second eccentric, 1 second pause.. constant tension, quick reps. It looks like up down up down up down... you're a professional now you should know what extreme pumpfest looks like

Mental week - eating to training ratio of about 20:1

Kept at the varying tempo stuff because short on time and did a lower body session Tuesday and upper accessory Wednesday. One left me unable to walk, the other left me unable to commit to a high five... everything nice and light and pec didnt react badly to the embarrassingly light overhead pressing. Went for a swim Thursday and haven't trained since because energy levels in the toilet with being sick. Hopefully training will return to some semblance of normality next week...

/most boring log entry ever

COH

Flat Bench superset Reverse Band Flys x10
Bar (3x50)
40kg x10
60kg x10
80kg x10
100kg x10
120kg x5... paused
100kg (2x10)

Incline Bench
40kg x5
60kg x5
80kg x5
100kg x5
120kg x3..

DB Press
20s xAMRAP
25s xAMRAP
30s xAMRAP

Pec Dec Therapy
Pin F*ck all x Millions

Squat
60kg (3x5)... bear with me here, there is a plan in motion

Still feeling pretty lethargic from the man flu, everything felt really heavy today but moved well and the pec strain seems to be on the way out, really felt it on the pec dec but felt good and if its good enough for Ed Coan its good enough for me. I hate being this weak.

COH

Haven't trained all week after a combination of being crazy busy in work and man-flu'd into oblivion...

My Usual Bench Warm Up: 4 Rounds with mini band of...
Band Pressdown x15
Band Facepull x15
Band Fly x15
Band Bench x15

Bench Press + Light Band
60kg (2x8)
80kg x8
100kg x5
120kg x1
*Remove Band*
100kg x20

Incline Bench
60kg x5
80kg x5
100kg x12

Close Grip Bench
60kg x5
80kg x5
100kg x15

***Idle barbells are the devils playground***

Squat
60kg x5
80kg x5
100kg x5
120kg x5
140kg x5

Deadlift
60kg x5
100kg x5
140kg x5
180kg x5


Have put my Toro Powerbelt into storage for the time being as I fit into my old APT belt again now for the first time in 2-3 years. Benching still feels heavy but I may not be as sh*t and weak as initially feared. I'd usually use a banded 120 as a last warm up for a top set of 140ish but pec isn't quite 100% so backed off for the top set for once. My bench has always responded to high reps so may stick at this again for a while. my touch and go 20rm is 120kg I doubt I'll get anywhere near that for a while but 110kg in the next few weeks maybe.

Had some time to kill between PT clients so decided to do some squatting for the lols since yolo and all that... having squatted 60kg last week and thinking '5kg a week for a year would get me what I want' the obvious thing to do this week was to pretend its 3 and a half months from now and hope for the best. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about ramping up to 180+ I'll leave that for the next time I have some spare time and an empty gym. After the pain free success of the squatting the next logical step was to deadlift: 180kg felt like air. Again thought about going heavier but psychologically I'm still in a place where the next kg might kill me so left it at that.

Good day at the office.

COH

Post script to yesterdays training:

- I can hardly walk (in a good way)
- It hurts to laugh
- Back hasn't reacted badly at all to the loading
- Appetite is through the roof
- Oddly the only place I have no DOMS is my chest

Will swim today for an hour or so but damn I missed this head to toe car-crash feeling!

COH

Nice big refeed there last night - shame to waste all that lovely glycogen on a rest day so:

*Warm Up 3 Rounds*

- Single Arm Kb Swing (28kg) x10 e/s
- Double Arm KB Swing (28kg) x10
- Goblet Squat + Hold (28kg) x10
- Band Pressdown x10
- Band Pull Apart x10

Bench + Monster Mini
60kg x8
80kg x8
100kg x8
120kg x1
*remove band*
105kg x20

Close Grip Bench
65kg x5
85kg x5
105kg x15

Incline Bench
65kg x5
85kg x5
105kg x12

Lat Pulldown
(3x25)

Face Pull
(3x25)

Bodyweight a miserable 98.4kg this morning after yesterdays feasting. Lame.

COH

*Warm Up 3 Rounds*

- Single Arm Kb Swing (28kg) x10 e/s
- Band Assisted Pull Ups x10
- Goblet Squat + Hold (28kg) x10
- Rolling Plank
- Hockey Ball + Distract hips/glutes/hams

Single Leg Hamstring Curl
(5x8/8)

Squat
60kg x5
80kg x5
100kg x5
120kg x5
140kg x10

Deadlift
70kg (3x5)
110kg x2
150kg x2
170kg x2
190kg x2