Chasing the big numbers....

Casshern88

So i previously had a log here a few years back called getting stronger and possibly competing in powerlifting. I haven't lifted seriously in about 2 years iv stayed in relatively good shape through sporadic bouts of training over that time.

But things are changing now I'm back in the gym dying to get back into heavy lifting.

Slight predicament my current gym has no squat rack but does have olympic bars, which means back squats are out , so ill be focusing on main lifts minus squats, will have to go for heavy lunges / goblet squats for now as a replacement.

Main goal get Strong as hell, i want to be able to pull a 200kg deadlift and chin with 20kg added, not pushed about size i know that will come with strength.

anyway gym today was

hip / shoulder mobility

RDL
20kg x 10

Deadlift
60kgx6
80kgx3

100kg 6x3

Lunges
15kg 3x16

Bench
20kg 1x10
40kg 1x6
60kg 1x8

DB bi curls
10kg 3x8

Good session, deadlifts were good, technique was solid, first time doing multiple sets of 3, previously i woud have mainly worked up to one heavy set of 3 weekly, trying to add 5kg ish each week. seen as i wont be back squatting for next while i can really focus on getting Dl up. for now I'm gonna focus on just linear progression adding 2.5 - 5kg each week.

question: given that I'm now going 6 sets of 3 instead of 1x3, do the more experienced guys here think a weekly 5kg increment is too optimistic? iim only taking about over the next 8 weeks or so. Then testing and changing program.

bench was hard, been a while since benched need to get comfortable with technique again, was trying to keep feet back as far as i could and push through heels keeping tension there but calfs were cramping.

everything else was ok.

Casshern88

Good warm up lots of mobility drills

then this DC shoulder warm up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCp-YynBEvE

Overhead press
20kg 1x10
30kg 3x6

Parallel bar dips
b.w. 3x6

inverted rows
10,7,6

cable tri pushdowns, straight bar
L8 3x10

Core Circuit x2
15 sit-ups
15 reverse crunches
30 sec Plank

Facepulls
L3 2x12

Good session, DC warm up i found v. good for pre pressing, tryed to really focus on retracting the shoulder blades. Might do that pre every session.

Everything else was good , could have prob pushed bit heavier on most things but only second session back so i might as well build into it gradually.

No foam roller in the place which is the one thing im missing, may have to get my own and start bringing it in with me.

doug3932

Sounds like a great workout! Keep going and enjoy yourself..

Casshern88

Cheers doug3932.

Today:

Dynamic warm up

Deadlifts
20kg 1x10
60kg 1x8
80kg 1x5

100kg 6 x3

*Turns out last week i was actually using a 6ft olympic bar, which i think was lighter, anyway im used to the using the full size from when i was lifting regularly, felt much more comfortable this time round, solid technique. more in tank.

Lunges 17.5kg 3x14

Bench
20kg 1x10
40kg 1x6

60kg 2 x 8
60kg 1 x 6

* wasnt feeling too confident about last set asked someone to spot me and failed at 6, sickened, should have had that.
considering at one stage i was benching 100 comfortably for sets it sucks failing at 60 but ill get back there!!

D.B. bi curls
12kg 3x6

ab roll out
3x6

plank
35 sec x 3

good session gave me some drive to keep going and get back to my previous level of strength.

Casshern88

Usual warm up stuff

DB Goblet squat
20kg 3 x 8
30kg 3 x 6

20kg 1 x 12

Straight leg deadlifts
bar 1x10
60kg 3x6

chin ups
3x6

rope tricept push downs
L10 1x10
L9 2x10

knew i was meant to be squatting today , but place doesnt have a rack so normal squats are out. was gonna go for hack squats but figured theyd impede on my deadlift recovery too much as movement pattern is so similar.Decided to go for goblet squats, was harder than i though, first time squatting anything remotely "heavy" in a while. 30kg is heaviest DBs they have though so from a point of view of progression ill just have to up reps for now.

they gym has this pull up / dip stand thing, on the pull up side the bar doesnt go right across it curs into the support struts and the grip material is only on the outter part of the bar. so as i was doing my chin ups my hands kept slipping along the bar so by the last rep im doing a neutral grip pull up. pretty annoying.

Casshern88

Dynamic warm up stuff

incline bench YTWL focusing on scap retraction.
2.5 kg 3 reps each

overhead press
20kg 1x8
32.5kg 2x6

dips
B.W. 3x8

inverted row
10,8,7

face pulls
L4 3x15

core circuit x 3
sit up
reverse crunch
30 sec plank

Solid session.

Casshern88

Usual warm up .

RDL
bar 1 x 10

Deadlift
60kg 1 x10
80kg 1x6

105kg 6x3

D.B. Lunges
17.5 kg 3x14

Bench Press
bar 1x10
40kg 1 x6
65kg 3x8
40kg 1x12

D.B. Bi curls
12.5kg 3x10

scap push ups
3x20

ab roll out wheel
3x8

Happy with deadlift , bench was better this week went slightly wider with grip, made a difference, felt i had plenty of energy could have pushed it harder in most things. looking forward to numbers going up over next couple of weeks.

Casshern88

Warm up

1a.)DB Goblet squat 30kg 3 x 8

1b.) chin ups 3x6

finished with Goblet squat 20kg 1 x 12

Straight leg deadlift
62.5kg 3x6

tri rope push downs
L8 3x10

DC shoulder complex (YTWL and load a other stuff focusing on scap retraction)
2.5kg

chins
1x6

I zoned out during the squat chin superset and wasn't entirely sure if i did 2 or 3 sets. im 95 % sure it was 3 but threw in another set of chins on way out to be safe. did tri pushdows with a 3 second negative.

I seen some guy in gym today doing lunges with a ez curl bar on his back he used dip station as make shift squat rack. hummm dip station is nestled in pretty close to the wall but i might be able to fit the 5ft oltmpic bar across it and use that to squat. might try that next week. somehow i doubt gym staff there will approve but screw it.

Gordy6040

Eh.... no squat rack in your gym! Are you sure haven't wandered intova dance studio by mistake?

I'll get my coat .

Gordy6040

On a serious note you've done well to get to those kinds of weights considering how long you've been out. Good luck a nd keep going !

Casshern88

Cheers man, ya gym sucks in that respect, they have a good few Olympic bars so whoever ordered equipment had some idea about proper training , youd think theyd have gone the whole way and got a squat rack but no they spent the money on a smith machine . I cant really complain its the gym in college so only paid 80 quid for the year.

Alf Veedersane

Casshern88 wrote: »

Cheers man, ya gym sucks in that respect, they have a good few Olympic bars so whoever ordered equipment had some idea about proper training , youd think theyd have gone the whole way and got a squat rack but no they spent the money on a smith machine . I cant really complain its the gym in college so only paid 80 quid for the year.

On the plus side, you get to check if anyone h using clips for weights on the Smith machine and ridicule anyone that does!

Casshern88

Today's session:

Was in two minds about training today, was stretching my lats after last session and felt something twinge in my bicep, was nothing major but was niggling me ever so slightly yesterday and this morning, but it seemed to disappear once i warmed up no issue now either.

anywhooo


overhead press
20ks 1x10
35kg 3x6

Dips
B.W.
2x10
1x7

inverted row
2x10
1x 7 ish

D.B. shrugs
20kg 3x8

core circut x 3 --- 30 sec rest between rounds
sit up 15
R.crunch 15
plank 30 sec

load a stretching.

Good session happy with numbers everything is going in right direction strength is defo going up i was banging out those dips a lot more comfortably than i was 2 weeks ago.

Casshern88

Had a lazy week, went to the gym today with no motivation was half way through my benching sets and i look around and what do i spy but a brand new shiny power rack , im suddenly feeling re-motivated about working out..

bench
worked up to
65kg 3x6

Squats
Just messing round getting technique right.
bar 1 x20
60kg 3x6

Squats felt great , savage to be back under the bar! technique was solid i though, squatted low bar, got the position pretty ok, Ass to grass dept. looking forward to working these hard!

chins 3x6

left it at that for today, feeling re motivated.will re gig my program for monday to take advantage of power rack.
gym got some new DBs up to 40 too. they just need to get a foam roller now and will be happy out, will ask someone about that next time.

RidleyRider

Good news about the gym but if I was you, I'd get my own roller:)

Casshern88

I have a foam roller , lacross ball and a decent band for pull aparts on my xmas list so far

RidleyRider

Good man, definitely musts!

JJayoo

A lot of gyms will have a balance board which is pretty much a solid foam roller with a board on top, have a gawk to see if your gym has one.

Casshern88

Dynamic warm up stuff.

Deadlift
bar 1x10
60kg 1x8
80kg1x5

110kg 6x3

DB Lunges
18kg 3x14

Bench
20kg 1x15
40kg 1x6
67.5 3x6

reverse crunches
3x20

Decent session, deadlift felt strong , felt i could have pulled 120 for 3x6 no problem, which was supprising seen as i had a week off deads and my nutrition has been all over place haven't been getting enough kcal last few days.
Bench felt good also, defo have 3x6 70in me.

I asked staff about a foam roller, and they actually do have one, for some reason it was up in staff area or something. so i got that at end of session and rolled the sh!t out of my back and legs. I was defo making some borderline sexual sounds
rolling out my upperback. looking forward to getting some more time on that. The gyms beside my college so might even run in for 10 min rolling even on days im not training.

Tryed to record last set of deads to post, even asked some guy to record it for me but my phone decided to freeze and not work at that point, next time.

Think im going to start 5/3/1 in new year for 4 or 5 cycles.

Alf Veedersane

Casshern88 wrote: »

I asked staff about a foam roller, and they actually do have one, for some reason it was up in staff area or something. so i got that at end of session and rolled the sh!t out of my back and legs. I was defo making some borderline sexual sounds

Either you find foam rolling too pleasurable or you're into some seriously weird sh*t in the sack.

Casshern88

haha i think i was just so relieved to finally be rolling out my tight areas, my upper back has been as tight as a Chinese finger trap for the last while!

Casshern88

Got my self a lacrosse ball today, First time using one, spent about 40 min torturing my self with it this morning, ive foam rolled plenty in the past but theres just no comparison with the spots it can get to. going to try get 5 - 10 min on the ball on a daily basis to keep tightness away.

in gym later:
warm up / mobility stuff

Squats
B.W x 10
Bar x 10
60kg x 5
80kg 3 x6
60kg 1x10

Straight led deadlift
bar 1x10
60kg 3x6

Chin up
B.W. 2x7,
B.W. 1x4 , 1x2, 1x1 - 10 seconds between these

Plank
3x35sec

Stretching and foam rolling.

Squats were good, 80 felt hard but not impossibly hard, could have prob done 85 but happy to start there and just add 2.5 a week for now.

i mentioned doing 5/3/1 after new year, but giving that more thought that's actually a ridicules idea for right now, with consistency, decent eating and muscle memory i could most likely get back to my numbers from a few years ago much quicker by just using weekly linear progression.

Casshern88

Overhead Press
20kg x10
37.5 3x6

Dips
B.W.
10,10,10

Chin ups
10,5,2,2,1

Reverse crunch
3x20

Load of stretching.

Casshern88

Deadlift
bar x 10
60 x 10
115 3 x 6

DB lunges
20kg 3x14

bench
bar x 15
40 x 10
70 3 x6
40 x 12

chin ups
10, 5, 3,3

Casshern88

Mobility stuff

Squats
bar x 10
60kg x 6
82.5kg 1x6, 2x8
60kg 1x10 give or take

Straight leg dead lift
62.6kg 3x8

Chins
9,5,4,2

Plank
35 sec x 3

Allright session, SLD's felt much better than previous session seem to have found a grove with them.

Squats were good, Was in the bottom position on like rep 4 of last set and heard this ripping sound, i thought it was my shorts first but i was only 4 reps in and wasn't stopping ripped or not, thank fully it was only my jocks, first time that every happened....

Im doing 60 chins a week at the min,20 a session, clean form just getting them out in as few sets without going to failure, in a few weeks hopefully ill be getting 20 in 2 or 3 sets handy enough, ill then go for 90 chins a week, and then 100 a week. once im doing 100 for a few weeks might switch it up to one day heavy with weight added and one day B.W. Chin ups have always been one of my favorite exercises want to build some serious strength in my lats / arms.

Casshern88

Overhead Press
20kg x10
30kg x5

40kg 3 x 6 -- Struggel, Really had to grind out the last rep or two

Dips
11,11,7

Chin Ups
10,5,5

Foam Rolling.

Back in Galway for xmas training in warehouse gym, great facility, they have pvc pipe instead of foam rollers, Feck me they hurt!

Dip stations are much wider than the parallel bars i had been dipping on in other gym, hits the chest much harder, insane pump off them.

Casshern88

Mobility / dynamic warm up

Deadlift
60kg x5
80kg x3

120kg 6x3 - felt good, managed a over hand grip for first 3 sets.

Overhead walking lunges
20kg plate 50 meters x3

Chinzzz
10,6,4,2,4,1 - Happy with these felt strong.

Last set of deads, think my form is solid. any comments on it appreciated.

JJayoo

I don't like the way the bar has to be pushed out in front of you to clear your knees on the way down. As you are putting the bar down you are perfect until you begin to bend your knees, as soon as you do this your knees are in the path of the bar.

Casshern88

ya i see what you mean, ill try push hips back more on the decent while keeping the bar in contact with my thighs. ill see if that helps.

JJayoo

I think you are just being too polite :pac: just feck it down. When you get to the stage where you feel like bending your knees just keep a hold of the bar let gravity bring it down.

Apart from that they look very good.

Casshern88

Rolling

some light DB scap retractions then some Y T L W's on incline bench

Bench
20kg x 10
40kg x 6
60kg x 2

72.5kg 2x6, 1 x8

60kg 1x10

D.B. inclie bench
20kg 3x8

Tricep push downs, rope attachment
25 kg 2x10
30kg 1x10

Face pulls
15kg 3x10

Ab wheel roll out
3x10

Stretching and foam rolling.

Im convinced the place i normally train in Dublin has heavier bars then 20kg, ive been training in a much better facility down home with loads of standard 20kg bars, and every one of them feels lighter, There definitely noticeably thinner then the "20kg bars" in my normal gym (there not so big to be fat grip bars either)and probably much better quality id imagine.

Shoulder did something funny on second set of bench, as i was unracking i was making sure shoulder blades were retracted next thing my right shoulder poped back into a funny position didnt feel right re racked and took a second, It was fine then no pain so carried on.

Happy with bench strength, but like i said it just all felt better with those bars.