I don't know what I'm doing but I know what I've done

Alf Veedersane

Friday 11/8/2017

A) C2
10 rounds: 30s row / 30s rest
All rows > 150m


B1) Shoulder Press
45kgs x 5 x 8

B2) Hammer Curls
15kgs x 5 x 8


C1) Weighted NG Pull Ups
+20kg x 4 x 5

C2) Barbell Shrugs
100kg x 4 x 12


D1) Lateral Raises
10kgs x 4 x 12

D2) Face Pulls
4 x 15

D3) Press Ups
4 x 20



Holy Ab-DOMS, Batman!  Took 3 rounds on C2 to get past them but they came back hard on pull ups. Unpleasantness.

T'other day, I had to stop after 8 rounds on C2. Ded. Had few more to go after 10 today. Will try keep cardio in the mix the next couple of weeks.

Typo the last day - shoulder press was sets with 40kg and not 60. Habit of adding plates to the bar.

Alf Veedersane

Monday 14/8/2017

A) Sumo Deadlift
135kg x 2 x 10
135kg x 5
120kg x 3 x 5


Close Grip Bench
62.5kgs x 3 x 10
60kg x 9


C) Incline Bench
50kgs x 5 x 12


D) Bent Over Row
65kg x 4 x 15


E) Ab Pulldown
All of the reps....well, 100.



Practise day.

Played around with numbers today a bit to get a feel for the sumo deadlift in particular and weights for higher volume.

Sumo took a bit of getting used to so dropped to sets of 5, then back to 120kg to change a couple of things. Will take a good bit of work to get where my strongest position is and more again to drill the sh*t out of it. Looking forward to it though. Will need patience.

Usual first session back with high volume feels. Be grand.

One of the last sets of sumo for a starting reference point. It feels so weird to start and hence you could probably find lots of things wrong with it - will take some getting used to but that's the fun:

coffee_cake

Looks good. Also like the title.
I was thinking today i haven't done any in a while. Do you find it hard to brace at the start of them

Alf Veedersane

bluewolf wrote: »

Looks good. Also like the title.
I was thinking today i haven't done any in a while. Do you find it hard to brace at the start of them

I find it hard to do anything right. It feels a bit like I'm getting in my own way at lockout with underhand grip on left. Mixed grip felt smoother than double OH though.

It'll go one of two ways (hopefully): either sumo ends up working better or it addresses some of my weaknesses in conventional.

But given I have long femurs and long torso, in theory sumo might suit better. Will just take a bit of work to nail my stance and then get the movement flawless before adding weight.

So...lots of reps

coffee_cake

Yeah in theory i think it would be better for me also and it's so wonderfully easy up to 80-90% and then bam, can't get it off the ground. Gonna train it when i reintroduce dls this cycle.
The "pretend there's a glass wall in front of your face" cue works for me. Though i think it works for me for conv as well so maybe I'm just a noob

Alf Veedersane

bluewolf wrote: »

Yeah in theory i think it would be better for me also and it's so wonderfully easy up to 80-90% and then bam, can't get it off the ground. Gonna train it when i reintroduce dls this cycle.
The "pretend there's a glass wall in front of your face" cue works for me. Though i think it works for me for conv as well so maybe I'm just a noob

Certainly looks like you need to be very patient at the heavier weights because it looks so slow to come off the floor then WOOF....lockout.

I'd like to persevere with it and if total takes a hit in November, so be it. I'd rather just give it a run. It's not like it will affect me qualifying for 2018 nationals

COH

bluewolf wrote: »

The "pretend there's a glass wall in front of your face" cue works for me.

Alf is using the 'teabag the bar' cue

Alf Veedersane

COH wrote: »

Alf is using the 'teabag the bar' cue

Still laughing at that....but it's actually spot on

Alf Veedersane

Wednesday 16/8/2017

A) Squat (no belt or sleeves)
101kg x 4 x 10
101kg x 16


Wide Grip Bench
56kgs x 4 x 8


C) DB OHP
20kgs x 4 x 12


D) Lat Pulldown
100kg x 5 x 15


E) Back Extension
100 reps w/ 5kg (30, 27, 24, 19)




And so we go again. It's funny how 11 days without squatting makes it feel a bit new. The first session back after peaking is always hard enough going. But the squats were only 60% so you recover quickly. Got cramp in my forearm at 12/13 on last set...that was new. Anyway, I'll take that for first day back. Will get more reps next day.at 106.

Index finger just outside rings for wide grip. They felt so much easier than expected based on how 52/55kg felt when I last did these.

Lat pulldowns were supposed to be at 90. Thought they felt a bit heavier than expected but put that down to volume. The inside plates that had been there when I went to use it were the older, smaller diameter 20s and not 15s!

The pump was real on those back extensions. Lower back and glutes were hopping.

coffee_cake

I should get micro plates and bench 56 too

Yeah starting back after the break even 60% is a killer

Alf Veedersane

bluewolf wrote: »

I should get micro plates and bench 56 too

Yeah starting back after the break even 60% is a killer

Got my 0.5kg plates a few years ago when I was doing Madcow and needed them after a certain point in OHP. They come in handy mostly during high volume training.

Alf Veedersane

Friday 18/8/2017

A) Sumo Deadlift
120kg x 2 x 5
130kg x 3 x 5
135kg x 2 x 5
140kg x 2 x 5
130kg x 5


Close Grip Bench
62.5kg x 4 x 10


C) Incline Bench
50kgs x 5 x 12


D1) Bent Over Row
65kg x 4 x 15


D2) Ab Pulldown
100 reps (25, 26, 26, 23)



Edit: DOMS'd like a motherf*cker today.

Lots of sets on sumo. Think I have my stance and grip width about right. Need to get more weight behind the bar though and consistently. And work harder to keep hips close to bar.

Benching was grand tonight. Felt so heavy on Monday which I had put down to the reintroduction of volume. Grand tonight. Same with Incline.

I find the ab pulldown hard to get right so I feel it where I should so the reps were kinda slow to make sure they were right. 

Dtp1979

Are you thinking of making a switch to sumo or just mixing it up?

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Are you thinking of making a switch to sumo or just mixing it up?

Well, I want to have a good run at it and see if it suits me more than conventional. I won't be able to tell in a month or two. I just need to work on the movement and see where it goes. I'll work it up to the next comp. Worst case: it helps some weaknesses in my conventional.

Alf Veedersane

Monday 21/8/2017

A) Bench
66kg x 7 x 8
66kg x 16


B1) Squat (no belt or sleeves)
85kgs x 5 x 15

B2) NG Pull Ups
5 x 12


C) Snatch Grip Deadlift
130kgs x 5 x 8


D) Russian Twists
100 reps w/ 15kg (30, 32, 28, 10)




Cardio night.

Gym was like a sauna even with the big doors each end wide open.

I thought the bench volume would feel worse but the couple of sessions of close grip and then incline bench had me acclimatised. That said, it's only 66% as well.

Supersetted squats and pull ups because time. 99.999% sure I've never done multiple sets of 12 pull ups, neutral grip or otherwise.

Squats were taxing enough even at 50% but the reps didn't slow and recovery was quick. Which is the goal after all.

Snatch grip DL at the end was pretty rough...on the quads especially.

Alf Veedersane

Wednesday 23/8/2017

A) Squat (no belt or sleeves)
106kg x 4 x 10
106kg x 18


Wide Grip Bench
60kgs x 4 x 8


C) DB OHP
22kgs x 4 x 10


D) Lat Pulldown
107.5kg x 5 x 12


E) Back Extension
110 reps w/ 7kg (30, 29, 26, 25)



Racks were busy so did wide grip bench. Felt easy...as it should. But I know I definitely didn't find them so easy last time I was doing them. Complete non-event now.

Got into a really good groove on squats. Last set felt lovely - all good, smooth reps. Couple in the tank cos nothing was grindy in the slightest.

F**k me but there's a serious pump in my glutes and lower back, in particular, from the back extensions. Hamstrings to a lesser extent.

Good start to the training week.

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

F**k me but there's a serious pump in my glutes and lower back, in particular, from the back extensions.

Whats a serious pump today will be one hell of a pain in the hole tomorrow. Literally.

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Whats a serious pump today will be one hell of a pain in the hole tomorrow. Literally.

Shouldn't be too bad. I recovered quicker this week than last so I'm not expecting the DOMS to be too bad.*



* famous last words

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Shouldn't be too bad. I recovered quicker this week than last so I'm not expecting the DOMS to be too bad.*



* famous last words

Yes and I'm going to London for a stag at the weekend. I don't expect the hangover on Sunday to be too bad.

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Yes and I'm going to London for a stag at the weekend. I don't expect the hangover on Sunday to be too bad.

Should have gone out and got mangled last weekend to prepare the body.

Failed to prepare....

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Should have gone out and got mangled last weekend to prepare the body.

Failed to prepare....

Ah it's ok I don't expect the hangover to be bad .
Testing squat in the morning. I should really go to bed

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Ah it's ok I don't expect the hangover to be bad .
Testing squat in the morning. I should really go to bed

Easy on the number of reps on the way up. Keep tight and get yourself a PR!

coffee_cake

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Ah it's ok I don't expect the hangover to be bad .
Testing squat in the morning. I should really go to bed

Pints of water. All of the pints of water. During, before, after

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Easy on the number of reps on the way up. Keep tight and get yourself a PR!

not to jinx it but in theory I should get 140.....hopefully.

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

not to jinx it but in theory I should get 140.....hopefully.

Take it as it comes. See how the warm ups feel. Have you a plan to get to 140 in terms of weight progression?

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Take it as it comes. See how the warm ups feel. Have you a plan to get to 140 in terms of weight progression?

Nothing too specific. Toe squats to 80.
Then maybe 100 x 2
110 x 2
120 x 1
127.5 x 1
132.5 x 1
137.5 x 1
140 x who knows.

How does that look?

coffee_cake

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Nothing too specific. Toe squats to 80.
Then maybe 100 x 2
110 x 2
120 x 1
127.5 x 1
132.5 x 1
137.5 x 1
140 x who knows.

How does that look?

What's your current max? I definitely wouldn't be jumping from 137 to 140
132 -> 140

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Nothing too specific. Toe squats to 80.
Then maybe 100 x 2
110 x 2
120 x 1
127.5 x 1
132.5 x 1
137.5 x 1
140 x who knows.

How does that look?

What's your current PR?

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

What's your current PR?

Current 1RM is 120

coffee_cake

I'd go to 127 is 120 is easy and then just go by feel after that... 125 if it isn't