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I don't know what I'm doing but I know what I've done
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Saturday 19/11/2016
(W2D3)
A) Bench
70kg x 3 x 6
70kg x 12
Squat
95kg x 5 x 5
C) Snatch Grip RDL
95kg x 4 x 12
D) Barbell Row
65kg x 12
67.5kg x 3 x 12
E) Neutral-Grip DB Floor Press
22.5kgs x 12
25kgs x 3 x 12
Racks were all in use so started with bench instead of squat. Hoped to hit 11 on last set - cos that was my rep max last Christmas (albeit after 3x8) with touch+go reps - so pretty happy with 12. I really think the pausing has caused technique to be a bit cleaner!
Snatch grip RDLs felt better again today...worked on keeping bar a hair's breadth from my legs through ROM.
Was going for 4x12 at 65 on rows but after first set I thought there was room for another couple of kgs.
After DB floor press last week, I figured 22.5 DBs was about right for 4x12 but I guess there was a bit of adaptation to the new movement and felt I could go up a bit more. 25s were right.
Benching movements felt strong this week. Getting some good volume outside of benching itself0 -
Monday 21/11/2016
(W3D1)
A) Squats
125kg x 4 x 8
125kg x 14 2-position Paused Deadlift
120kg x 12 x 2
C) Bench
62.5kg x 5 x 10
D) Skullcrushers
32.5kg x 4 x 10
Felt a bit shi*ty going in but just assumed the fog would burn off once I got into it.
As a reference point, last cycle I did 127.5 for sets of 7,7,10. So clearly a lot more volume in and around the same weight this time around. Wanted 14 but last rep wasn't as smooth and wasn't sure I'd grind a 15th but 14 is okay. I should probably be happier with it.
Deadlifts were ok. Felt a bit more drained than I should towards the end of them.
Felt ok benching though. Still feeling solid though at that weight it should. Great for drilling technique though.
So...that all pretty much went as well as I could have expected if I'd felt 100% going in.0 -
Wednesday 23/11/2016
(W3D2)
A) Deadlift
175kg x 3 x 2 Speed Pull
145kg x 8 x 3
C) Front Squat
80kg x 5 x 5
D) Incline Bench
40kg x 10
45kg x 10
50kg x 10
55kg x 10
E) Lat Pulldown
102.5kgs x 4 x 10
DLs weren't as good as I'd like. The doubles moved fine but need to nail a couple of things from now.
Triples were fine. Cleaner.
Front squats moved nicely. Handy enough. Happy with how smooth it feels considering the posterior chain workload before it.
The Incline bench has improved nicely. Improved from a low starting point, tbf.0 -
Saturday 26/11/2016
(W3D3)
A) Squat
100kg x 5 x 5 Bench
72.5kg x 3 x 6
72.5kg x 10
C) Snatch Grip RDL
102.5kg x 4 x 10
D) Barbell Row
70kg x 10
72.5kg x 3 x 10
E) Neutral-Grip DB Floor Press
27.5kgs x 4 x 10
Squatting was fine. Bench felt a lot heavier than +2.5kg on last week. But.I think my rep max at 72.5kg was 9, which was on the first set and was touch and go, so satisfied with today.
SG RDLs felt heavy today but form still in check and had a few left in the tank...ao not heavy heavy.
First set of rows felt easier than expected so went to 72.5kg for the rest of working sets. 72.5kg was on the money.
Wasn't sure if 27.5kg DBs was being too optimistic but was just about right for those sets/reps.
Decent enough session.
Entered the IPF Leinster Open on January 22nd so the prep is real now.0 -
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Monday 28/11/2016
(W4D1)
A) Squats
130kg x 5 x 6
130kg x 10 2-position Paused Deadlift
130kg x 8 x 3
C) Bench
65kg x 6 x 8
D) Skullcrushers
35kg x 4 x 10
Change in sets/reps on squat and the AMRAP set became AMRAP-2 so leaving 2 in the tank.
1st set at 130 felt heavier than I expected. From 2nd set on, they felt more like they should. Pretty happy to get 10 on the last set with 2/3 left in the tank after the 5x6.
I'll have to set a recurring reminder to bring the knee sleeves. I forget them more often than not.
That felt....voluminous.0 -
Wednesday 30/11/2016
(W4D2)
A) Deadlift
180kg x 3 x 2 1" Deficit Speed Pull
(135kg + ~16kg chains) x 8 x 3
C) SSB Squat
5x5 ramping up to 95kg x 5
D) Incline Bench
45kg x 8
50kg x 8
55kg x 8
57.5kg x 8
60kg x 8
E) Lat Pulldown
110kgs x 5 x 8
Deadlifts were decent. The last set was the best. Felt good.
Have never used the chains before but I liked how they felt and how they made me work the lift.
The SSB is a strange animal - takes a bit of getting used to...but I like it.
I think the 60kg x 8 might be a rep PR for incline bench. Doesn't say anything other than its moving in the right direction, which is all I want.0 -
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Saturday 3/12/2016
(W4D3)
A) Bench
75kg x 4 x 5
75kg x 10 Squat
105kg x 5 x 5
C) Neutral-Grip DB Floor Press
30kgs x 4 x 8
D) Block Deadlift
5x5 ramping up to 165kg x 5
E) Barbell Row
75kg x 4 x 8
Quietest it's been when I've been in ages but there were no free racks when I started and no space on the floor when I was due to do block pulls!
Wanted at least 8 on last set of bench to equal T&G rep max but the first few reps of the set felt light so knew 10 was on. Had never really paused my benching before this cycle so thought I would be about 10% off what I was doing with touch and go reps. Where I am right now is a lot better than I expected 4 weeks ago. Extra bench accessory work definitely paying dividends.
Never really did block pulls before - have done rack pulls from higher up but these were off ~3" blocks. I started getting into a better groove on the block pulls on the 4th of the 5 sets so I went to 165 instead of 160kg. Thought about going to 170 but I'll leave that for next week.
Rows after pulls wasn't ideal but job done.0 -
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Monday 5/12/2016
(W5D1)
A) Squats
135kg x 5 x 5
135kg x 8 2-position Paused Deadlift
140kg x 8 x 3
C) Bench
67.5kg x 6 x 8
D) Skullcrushers
37.5kg x 2 x 8
Stupidly busy this evening but on the plus side I'd been in the car for a total of 7/8 hours so the extra warm up helped.
Felt shi*ty with a head cold yesterday but didn't feel like I was bad enough to not go in. I'd find out quickly if I was in any fit state to squat. They felt comfortable. Little form tweak I made 3 sets in helped with keeping me more upright. The last set was to be 2 reps shy of failure. Made a bit of a balls of the 8th but otherwise it was right. Slightly ahead of my rep max of 9 but that only had 2x6 beforehand.
Started to flag during bench so took an extra 30s rest to get through them which ate into skullcrusher time before I had to finish up.0 -
Wednesday 7/11/2016
(W5D2)
A) Deadlift
185kg x 3 x 2 1" Deficit Speed Pull
(140kg + ~16kg chains) x 8 x 3
C) SSB Squat
Sets of 5 ramping up to 100kg x 5
D) Lat Pulldown
112.5kgs x 5 x 8
E) Incline Bench
55kg x 3 x 8
60kg x 2 x 8
Deadlifts were ok. Still trying to get where I know what it feels like when upper back is as tight as it needs to be. No particularly bad reps but I just want to dial in the technique more.
Working on getting my hips a bit lower. Felt like that improved through the deficit pulls.
SSB bar still feels very different but getting a better hang of it.
Still feeling a bit off so happy enough there was no drama with any if that. There shouldn't really be cos they were only doubles at 84% but not far off weight I've only ever done singles at.
After last week I had a better idea of what I could do for 5x8 on incline bench so dropped to 55kg and got more volume in. Realised 55kg was a touch too comfortable so went to 60 which was on the AMRAP -1 mark.
Then I realised I did a set too many on the pulldowns and incline bench...durrr.0 -
Saturday 10/12/2016
(W5D3)
A) Squat
110kg x 5 x 5 Bench
77.5kg x 4 x 5
77.5kg x 9
C) Block Deadlift
5x4 ramping up to 175kg x 4
D) Barbell Row
77.5kg x 4 x 8
E) Neutral-Grip DB Floor Press
30kgs x 4 x 9
Last night's Christmas pints made everything feel 10% heavier.
Squats felt better once I got into them. Grand.
Happy to get 9 over last bench set. Didn't think I would get that the way the sets before felt but the last was the best set.
Block pulls felt a bit funky. Went a bit better once I saw what the problem was.
Rows felt stronger than I expected.
32.5kg DBs was going to be too big a jump on last week so just added a rep to get to AMRAP-1.
Ok session. Got through what I needed to and hit numbers I had in mind even though I didn't feel brilliant. I'll take that.0 -
Monday 12/12/2016
(W6D1)
A) Squats
140kg x 5 x 3
135kg x 9 Paused Deadlift (pause mid-shin)
150kg x 8 x 3
C) Bench
70kg x 6 x 8
D) Skullcrushers
37.5kg x 8
35kg x 3 x 8
140kg is what I have down as my opener in the comp in 5 weeks. Moved fine. 2 sloppy ones but nothing too bad. The set at 135 wasn't as smooth as I'd like. Looked smoother than it felt.
Paused deadlifts were a bit better. Was better for getting hips down and chest up anyway.
Tonight is my lighter benching night. A few weeks ago my heavier benching session went 3x6, 1x12 so bit of extra volume tonight.
Triceps weren't having 4 sets of 37.5kg skullcrushers so dropped back to 35kg. Triceps humming with a pump now.0 -
Wednesday 14/12/2016
(W6D2)
A) Deadlift
167.5kg x 4 x 3 1" Deficit Speed Pull
(145kg + ~16kg chains) x 8 x 2
C) SSB Squat (AMRAP-1)
90kg x 6, 6, 7, 7
D) Incline Bench
Sets of 5 up to 65kg x 5
E) Lat Pulldown
100kgs x 15, 15, 15, 14
Took some weight off the DLs and added volume. Felt good. Deficits felt fine - couple of loose reps but not bad. Doubles cos third reps last week getting a bit slow so losing its value.
Was conscious of leaving a couple in the tank for SSB squat. Starting to get used to it. Finally got a good appreciation for how it helps my deadlift as well.
Nothing has been hugely heavy but I have been doing more volume at higher percentages than I have before and nothing has felt remotely tired when the next session comes around.0 -
Friday 16/12/2016
(W6D3)
A) Squat
115kg x 5 x 5 Bench
80kg x 4 x 4
80kg x 7
C) Block Deadlift
Triples, ramping up to 190kg x 3
D) Barbell Row
80kg x 4 x 8
E) Neutral-Grip DB Floor Press
32.5kgs x 8
30kgs x 2 x 8
30kgs x 12
Benching was a battle. Had a twinge in upper left arm and it was really uncomfortable on the eccentric. Didn't feel like elbow, tricep or shoulder. It was a strange one. Wanted at least 8 coming in but given how the sets of 4 felt, 7 is a lot better than the 4/5 I thought I might get before the last set.
I find block pulls harder than normal deadlifts. Reasonably happy with how they went today.
Whatever the twinge was during benching, I only felt it a about an inch from chest so figured it wouldn't be a factor in floor presses. Knew during first set of floor presses that 4x8 with the 32.5s wasn't happening so dropped back to 30s and made sure to get the volume in.0 -
Monday 19/12/2016
(W7D1)
A) Squats
142.5kg x 4 x 3
137.5kg x 10 Paused Deadlift (pause mid-shin)
155kg x 6 x 4
C) Bench
72.5kg x 8 x 6
D) Close Grip Bench
62.5kg x 4 x 8
E) Hammer Curls
10kgs x 4 x 15
Went in feeling really good...just felt really fresh!
Triples at 142.5 felt great. Each one felt better than the last.
Pause pulls felt better this week. Getting hips down more to where they should be.
Bench felt solid enough. Weird twinge from Friday had disappeared.
Switched from skullcrushers to close grip benching cos they just felt a bit gammy last week. It felt like a good decision - everything felt healthier after (when the tricep pump went).
Curls because it's the season to be running around the Nakatomi Plaza in a vest.0 -
Wednesday 21/12/2016
(W7D2)
A) Deadlift
177.5kg x 3 x 3 Speed Pull
(135kg + light band) x 8 x 2
C) SSB Squat (AMRAP-1)
92.5kg x 6, 5, 6, 7
D) Incline Bench
Sets of 4 up to 70kg x 3 (missed 4th)
E) Lat Pulldown (AMRAP-1)
105kgs x 13, 13, 12, 11
Deadlifts felt ok. Improved because I picked up a couple of tips that helped make sure I was on a better position to start the next pull.
Banded pulls felt different again but I like them. Will help me be more aggressive off the floor.
SSB squat wasn't bad. Was a tiny bit off on 5th rep of 2nd set which cost me another. All felt nicely within failure.
Thought I had the 4th rep on the 70kg incline because the first 3 felt strong enough but it just stopped a few inches up. Still probably a PR at the weight though.0 -
Saturday 24/12/2016
(W7D3)
A) Squat
120kg x 5 x 5 Bench
82.5kg x 4 x 3
82.5kg x 6
C) Block Deadlift
Doubles, ramping up to 190kg x 2
D) Barbell Row
82.5kg x 4 x 6
E) Neutral-Grip DB Floor Press
32.5kgs x 4 x 6
About 20 mins before the session, I squatted down to pick the little one up and knee felt f**ked on way up. Eased a bit but I said I'd see how warm up squats felt and would had no hesitation pulling plug on squats. They felt grand, thanks be ta jeeeayyysis.
Have never done much/any volume beltless at that weight before. The odd single maybe.
Reasonably happy with 6 on the last bench set. After 5 I thought 7 was there. Turned out it wasn't but it beats a rep PR that was set when I was fresh and touch and go as opposed to after a few triples and paused.
Block pulls felt fine. Was a bit off on the 190 so stopped it there. The weight felt ok though at least.0 -
Monday 26/12/2016
(W8D1)
A) Squats
145kg x 3 x 2
140kg x 2 x 3 Paused Deadlift (pause mid-shin)
160kg x 5 x 3
C) Bench
75kg x 7 x 5
D) Close Grip Bench
65kg x 4 x 8
E) Hammer Curls
12.5kgs x 4 x 12
The knee was a bit of an unknown today. It was achey on Saturday evening and yesterday but I could squat to just below parallel without feeling anything so I hoped today would be fine.
The doubles felt fine. No pain. Depth was there. All in all, relatively comfortable.
A little bit of doubt has crept into my mind lately on deadlifts. Not entirely sure why. But 4th set today as started to turn that back.
Everything felt nicely in the comfort zone, though not easy. But since the squat was the main event today - and it felt good - I is happy with that.0 -
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Wednesday 28/12/2016
(W8D2)
A) Deadlift
187.5kg x 3 x 3 Speed Pull
(90s rest)
(140kg + light band) x 8 x 2
C) SSB Squat (AMRAP-1)
95kg x 6, 6, 7, 8
D) Incline Bench
Triples up to 75kg x 3
E) Lat Pulldown (AMRAP-1)
110kgs x 11, 11, 11, 12
Happy enough with the deadlifts today - except for 3rd rep on 2nd set which was loose. Last cycle, 187.5 was heaviest triple I've ever done so I'm satisfied with 3 drama-free triples.
Worked on driving harder off the ground on the banded pulls so that I didn't notice the extra resistance at the top.
No idea why but I started thinking I could miss the very first rep of SSB squats before I even got under the bar. Had a word with myself and got on with it. 3 reps more than last week across the 4 sets.
Heaviest single I've ever done on incline bench was 73.5kg. Triple at 72.5 felt like ~8.5 so thought I might be able for a triple at 75kg. Misgrooved 2nd rep and I thought it had cost me but 3rd rep went up.
Happy enough. Just need to get rid of the sliver of doubt that slipped in occasionally lately.0 -
Saturday 31/12/2016
(W8D3)
A) Squat
125kg x 5 x 5 Bench
85kg x 4 x 2
85kg x 6
C) Block Deadlift
Doubles, ramping up to 205kg x 2
D) Barbell Row
85kg x 4 x 6
E) Neutral-Grip DB Floor Press
35kgs x 4 x 6
Just didn't feel like I was getting into the squat properly at any point in the first 3 sets. Made 125 feel like 150. Last 2 were better. Remembered how to brace...which helps when you're not wearing a belt.
Benching was solid enough. Made sure to pause for a steady one-one-thousand count. 6 is a new rep max at 85 so happy enough with that.
Last week I just went up in 10kg jumps from 120 to 190 and 190 felt poor. Just went 120/140/175 this week before 190 and it felt way better.
Rows and db floor pressing felt stronger than i expected it to. Wasn't hugely confident of 4x6 with the 35s initially anyway0 -
Monday 2/1/2017
(W9D1)
A) Squats
120kg x 5
127.5kg x 3
137.5kg x 3 x 3 Bench
77.5kg x 3
82.5kg x 3 x 3
C) Deadlift
165kg x 5
177.5kg x 3
190kg x 3 x 1
And so it begins. Getting the body ready for all three comp lifts in the one session.
Three top squat sets all felt fine. Comfortable enough.
Niggle in left arm going to bench but had no real impact. Again, top sets were comfortable.
The sets of 5 at 155 and 165 on deadlift felt heavier than I expected. 177.5kg x 3 felt fine though. 1st rep at 190 was ok. Second was sloppy. Annoyingly sloppy. Third was fine.0 -
Wednesday 4/1/2017
(W9D2)
A) Squats
120kg x 2 x 5 Bench
72.5kg x 2 x 5
C) Deadlift
165kg x 2 x 5
Lighter day today before the next day which will be a heavier day again than Monday.
Was all grand.
Need to make sure I'm 100% on depth on that first rep. Usually do and was probably just a bit complacent but no harm having it sharp in my mind to leave no doubt.
Need to remind myself repeatedly not to rack the bar before the command as well. That's the one thing I'd be nervous about making a balls of but again no harm having it brought into focus at this point.
Deadlift started to flow a bit better again.0 -
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I'd say to practice it a bit for your own head - it can be easy to forget on the day and some do. Some of the spotters are helpful about it - you remember I nearly bombed out for depth and when I finally didn't, your man behind me was like DO NOT MOVE !!
Do pretend someone is shouting the commands at you
That's the plan. I'm not used to the commands and while I paused at the top the last day before racking, I'll just have to say the commands in my head the next day. It's just the newness of it really but I'll get there
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