Witty log title

RidleyRider

gvn wrote: »

Heh. I plan on doing RDLs on Saturdays too so we'll see how that goes. Anyway...

Day 2/12

Back Squat
107.5 7x5

Front Squat
80 1x5 ... paused for 5 solid seconds at the bottom

Bench
80 7x5 ... paused

Pendlay Row
85 5x5

New gym is closed from this Thursday until next Tuesday. What a load of bollocks. I'll be starting week 2 of Smolov Jr next Tuesday, so it's not too bad, but it still leaves me gymless for Friday and Saturday of this week. I'm looking at two day passes in Flye Fit (€18 though, so not cheap). Is it possible to get a couple of day passes in Raw I wonder? Need to find something pretty soon.

I think I read raws day passes are 10e.

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Council gym?

Was this time last year I realised the value of Raw. The council gym I had been using was closed over Easter as well.

Yep. I wouldn't mind but I only saw the notice 2 minutes after joining for a month. I'd have put off joining for a month until next Tuesday if I saw it sooner. Ah well... I'll find something.

I'm living in Santry/Ballymun (Raw was convenient because it was close to college so I could nip down before/after/between lectures), so if any one has any recommendations Northside preferably (Drumcondra/Phibsborough/Santry/Ballymun/etc) that'd be great. Raw's a bit of a trek but I wouldn't mind doing it for a couple of days.

Thanks Ridley, I'll probably go for that. €20 for two days is just a bit steep... god damn easter.

Alf Veedersane

There's the Morton Stadium as well. Not sure what their policy is on day passes though but the number is 8620635.

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

There's the Morton Stadium as well. Not sure what their policy is on day passes though but the number is 8620635.

You're a good man, Alf! Thanks for that. I completely forgot there was a gym there. Just rang up and they'll be open over the weekend and access to the gym is €8 per visit, so that beats FlyeFit and Raw and it's a short walk away. Lovely stuff!

Alf Veedersane

I saw on the site that it was €8 for a day pass but there was mention of the track and I wasn't sure if that meant you'd just have the use of the track.

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I saw on the site that it was €8 for a day pass but there was mention of the track and I wasn't sure if that meant you'd just have the use of the track.

I saw that too. When I rang he said the full gym is available for that €8, which is pretty good. It looks to be a pretty decent gym.

COH

10 euro for a day pass before 3pm, 15e after 3pm

Day 3/12

Back Squat
115 8x4

Bench
85 8x4

Both were easy. Had to stop myself from doing more. Morton Stadium is a great place to train on a day like today. Nice to be able to pop out into the sunshine in between sets.

Day 4/12

Spent all day in the sun yesterday (including about 3 hours stretching outside) and my back/shoulders got scorched. Silly me. Squatting and benching with sunburn is no fun at all! Could afford to do a little extra today since I won't be starting week 2 until Tuesday.

Back Squat
123 10x3

Front Squat
70 x3
80 x2
90 x1
100 x1
105 x1
110 x1 ... 5kg PB
115 x1 ... 10kg PB

The time between my final set of back squats and the 115kg front squat was only 9 minutes, so I'm fairly delighted with that!

Bench
90 10x3 ... paused

RDLs
100 x6
105 x6
110 x6

Pull Ups
BW 4x6

Face Pulls
50kg 4x10

Bench was easy. Back squats were tough. I used my low-bar 1RM for Smolov but I'm doing it high-bar, so maybe I'm being over optimistic... Might have to revise the 5kg jumps down to 2.5kg jumps. I'll see how next week goes and work from there. Need to start eating more too... Calories since yesterday are up from 3500 daily to 4000+ daily, so that should help hopefully... sleep is good too.

I'm also considering running Smolov Jr. again after these two cycles, but this time concurrently for front squats and overhead press. Plan at the minute is to finish Smolov Jr. for back squats and bench on the 4th, test both on maybe the 7th, then test my front squat and OHP on the 9th, and begin the cycles based on those numbers on the 12th. Great idea? Good idea? Bad idea? Awful idea?

Alf Veedersane

I've toyed with the idea of doing it for front squat. Never would have thought of it for OHP. But on your current run, i'd give it 5 days before testing rather than 3.

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I've toyed with the idea of doing it for front squat. Never would have thought of it for OHP. But on your current run, i'd give it 5 days before testing rather than 3.

5 days it is. Nothing is set in stone yet, anyway... the best laid schemes of mice and men, and all that. Anyway...

Day 5/12

Back Squat
105 6x6

Front Squat
90 x3 ... paused for 5 seconds at the bottom
80 x5

Bench
77.5 6x6 ... paused

Pull Ups
BW 3x8

Barbell Hip Thrust
140 4x6

I find the hip thrusts very easy for some reason. I'm doing them with my upper back on the ground, should it be on a bench? Can see myself getting up towards 180 over the next few weeks because 140 felt very light.

I've been stretching my glutes and hip flexors 3/4 times a day since Friday. The dull, horrible pain I used to get from the couch stretch is no more! It must be the most horrible pain on earth.

Alf Veedersane

gvn wrote: »

I find the hip thrusts very easy for some reason. I'm doing them with my upper back on the ground, should it be on a bench? Can see myself getting up towards 180 over the next few weeks because 140 felt very light.

You can move more weight the lower you are to the floor.

It's not something I've done in a long time but I think you'd want to be looking at a body angle of about 45 degrees against the bench, if the bench allows for it. And shins somewhere near vertical at the top of it.

But, like I said, it's not something I've done in a long, long time. I just read up on how to do it when I planned to involve it more.

Couldn't make it to the gym yesterday so had to postpone W2D2 until today. Hopefully a delayed day here and there won't ruin the cycles...

Day 6/12

Back Squat
112.5 7x5

Front Squat
85 3x5 ... paused for 5 seconds at the bottom

I did these as penance for missing yesterday. Once the 5th rep of each set came I was on the brink of passing out, felt light headed and could just see stars. Nothing burns my core and upper/mid back like it, though.

Bench
82.5 7x5 ... paused

Pendlay Row
85 5x5

Gonna record my squats on Sunday and post the videos up on squats the story. I wish I could get the same depth on my back squat as my front squat... Back squat is probably about 3-4 inches below parallel, but my front squat goes so deep my arse is almost touching my ankles. I'll get videos of both next day and people can rip my form apart.

Won't be able to make it to the gym tomorrow, so it'll be Tuesday before I can do day 4. Exam season is a pain. Could afford do it a little extra today because of it, though...

Day 7/12

Back Squat
120 8x4

Front Squat
100 3x3 ... felt lovely and light
80 2x2 ... paused for 10 seconds at the bottom

Bench
87.5 8x4 ... paused

Pull Ups
BW 3x8

BB Hip Thrust
160 3x5 ... will take these to 180 next week, then start from a lower number with my back elevated on a bench.

Really hoping for a 150 back squat when I test in a couple of weeks. And if I could get a 125 front squat I'd be even happier. A solid 110 on the bench would be a nice bonus too.

Was pricking around in the back garden and did 2 one-arm chins (well, holding the wrist with the other hand) off of a clothes line pole... strange. I thought that'd be a hell of a lot harder. First exam in 2 and a half hours and all I can think about is squatting tomorrow. I have issues.

Alf Veedersane

Should make for some interesting answers.

Good luck, btw.

Day 8/12

Back Squat
127.5 10x3

Front Squat
105 3x3 ... not difficult... and that was my very ugly 1RM about 4 weeks ago. High bar squats are really helping it I think...

Bench
92.5 10x3 ... paused

GHR + Back Extensions Superset
BW 3x8

Face Pulls
4x10

Weighed myself for the first time in months today. Down from 95kg at Christmas to 90kg today. Fairly happy with that... despite eating like a pig I've lost a good bit of fat and gotten stronger.

Two things pissed me off today. I'd just unracked the weight for a set of back squats, was about to squat and a guy came over and tapped me on the back and asked "have you many sets left?" I ignored him and while I was going for a second he did it again. What a gobshíte. Another guy, just as I was about to do my first working set on the bench, asked "have you many sets left?" I told him I had 10, but he could join in with me if he wanted. He said no he'll wait... He was sitting beside me for 25 minutes doing absolutely nothing but watching me. Strange.

Next week's numbers look okay for everything except day 12 of the back squat... 132.5 scares me.

Was debating whether to take a trip to D8 Fitness this morning to pick up a lacrosse ball because the baseball I have is kind of awkward to use—it's leather so it slips and slides too easily. Decided not to. Went into my back garden earlier and what was sitting right in the middle of the garden? One of those solid rubber dog balls. Almost new, with nothing more than a few teeth dents. A neighbour must have thrown it in... it's mine now.

Spent about 90 minutes rolling around on my mid/upper back, shoulders and chest on it. Not a pleasant experience. Must have found a couple of dozen trigger points on my back alone. Still plenty there but I had to give up out of boredom. Shoulders aren't great either. Looking forward to taking a break from all this benching because it's not fantastic for my shoulders.

Alf Veedersane

Getting down and dirty with a ball in the shoulders isn't easy or enjoyable. As I've found out since Monday when the physio found more knots than you'd find at a scouts jamboree when she was checking them.

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Getting down and dirty with a ball in the shoulders isn't easy or enjoyable. As I've found out since Monday when the physio found more knots than you'd find at a scouts jamboree when she was checking them.

It's very tricky! I find I get lost... I don't know what parts I've done and haven't done, then I roll into some new area that feels like it's never been rolled before. I wouldn't mind but the area is only a few dozen square inches! I might treat myself to a sports message soon, I think.

Alf Veedersane

It's just very tricky getting the ball onto the sweet spot. Definitely worth getting a good sports massage every so often when you're working out regularly.

Day 9/12

Back Squat
110 6x6

Front Squat
80 x3
90 x2
100 x1
105 x1
110 x1
115 x1
117.5 x1 ... 2.5kg PB
120 x1 ... 5kg PB

Had intended on doing 107.5 3x3 but my legs were too fatigued... so I foolishly decided to do a heavy single. Last time front squatting until my back squat cycle is over in a week or so.

Bench
80 6x6 ... paused

Pull Ups
BW 3x9

Face Pulls
3x10

Those GHRs two days ago destroyed my hamstrings/calves/adductors. I'm still fairly sore... tried to do a few RDLs today but couldn't. I'll be dropping everything for legs except back squats now that I'm into week 3. Legs are pretty much constantly fatigued.

I used the squat rack in reverse today too... squatted facing into the gym instead of looking into a mirror. Made it a hell of a lot easier as I could keep my head upright because there was no impulse to check depth. Will be doing that from now on.

Day 10/12

Back Squat
117.5 7x5

Bench
85 7x5 ... paused

Pull Ups
BW 3x8

Band Pull Aparts
Millions

Squats weren't easy, but they felt good. Hardest part of it all was not doing any other leg stuff like front squats or GHR.

Despite eating lots I'm losing weight... down to 89.5kg. Hmm. That's about 5kg gone in 5 months. Strange.

Day 11/12

Back Squat
125 8x4

Bench
90 9x4 ... paused. Lost count and only realised at the end I'd accidentally done one set too many.

Pendlay Row
50 x8
70 x5
80 x5
85 x5 ... then the gym closed.

There isn't a hope in hell I'll be able for 132.5 10x3 tomorrow... I knew I overshot at the outset by basing the numbers on my estimated low-bar 1RM, and since I'm now doing high bar I'm weaker. I undershot my bench estimate if anything. So my options are to do day 12 on Wednesday, which doesn't really suit with an exam... or do it on Thursday, which would be good because it'd give my legs 2 days of rest. I might go and do some upper back work tomorrow morning then. I know it's not really Smolov Jr. any more because it's basically extended by 4/5 days, but it's exam season so that's my excuse...

Had 4500+ clean calories yesterday and on Saturday, that's a personal best... Aim for today is 5000+ with the aid of some unclean, sugary Aldi Fromage Frais... I just had 12 tubs. Mmmm. My appetite has gone crazy. I can't eat enough, and despite that I'm still losing weight... What the hell is going on.

New PB!



:pac:

So much sugary goodness from the 750g of Fromage Frais.

Day 11.5/12

Pendlay Row
Bar x20
40 x10
60 x5
70 x5
80 x5
85 x5
87.5 x5
90 x5
92.5 x5
95 x5
97.5 x3
100 x3
80 x10

Pull Ups
BW 5x8

Back Extensions
BW x8
+10kg 4x10

Face Pulls
8x10

YTWLs
2.5kg plates 4x10

One Arm Dumbbell Row
e/s
26 x10
30 x10
36 x10
40 x10
44 x8
40 x10
36 x10
30 x10
26 x10
22 x10

EZ Bar Curls
30 3x8
25 3x10
20 3x12

Day 12/12

Back Squat
132.5 10x3 ... this weight has been mindfúcking me all week so I'm fairly delighted with that!

Bench
95 10x3 ... paused... easy.

GHR
BW 4x10

BB Hip Thrusters
160 3x8
/with 3x12 face-pulls between sets

And so my extended Smolov Jr. cycles come to an end... Squats were tough buy okay. Had a friend record a few sets on his phone in the gym and they're well well well below parallel, maybe 5/6 inches. Back is perfectly straight too and my torso is fairly upright. Started seeing stars after the 3rd set and felt fairly faint, so I was resting 5/6/7 minutes between sets... took ages. Bench was too easy. Only had to rest about 3 min between sets.

Plan is to OHP and do pull-ups and DB rows on Saturday, do some very light back squats and benching (a few sets at 50/60% on Monday), and then test both on Wednesday. Cautiously optimistic for a 112.5kg bench and 150kg back squat. Cautiously. I'd be happy with 110 and 145 respectively, though... 150kg would be 1.66x BW. Aim for the end of summer is 1.75x and then 2x by the end of the year. If all goes to plan I'll be starting another cycle of Smolov Jr. for the back squat the Monday after testing.

P.S. all my squatting (including the testing) is beltless... I've never used a belt. So I'm sure that'd add a few kg if needed.

Alf Veedersane

How does the squat triples compare to your previous heavy squatting?

I think I remember you squatting a single at 135 to get over the 125x5x5 hump.

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

How does the squat triples compare to your previous heavy squatting?

I think I remember you squatting a single at 135 to get over the 125x5x5 hump.

Yep, that's right. I've squatted 140 for a single (last December), 130 for 3x3 (in January) and 127.5 for 5x5 (end of March). All were low bar, borderline parallel, incredibly tough and very ugly. Closer to squat-mornings as someone said in another thread lately! Squat feels 10x more solid now and they're a lot deeper too. So fingers crossed for a decent number next Wednesday.