Getting stronger getting older

Dtp1979

Last years calf raises really paid off. NOT.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xrNRekH2WI0

Dtp1979

Cycle 14 week 5 OHP

40kg x 3
45kg x 3
50kg x 3

47.5kg x 3 x 5

Lat pulldown neutral grip
50 x 7
60 x 7
70 x 7
80 x 7
90 x 7
100 x 4

Db Bench 14kg, 18kg, 22.5kg x 10
Db shrugs 28kg x 4 x 20

Lat raises 4kg x 3 x 20
Hammer curls 18kg x 3 x 12
Tricep pushdowns 25 x 3 x 10

Rower 300m x 2 @42m/s

I feel I’m missing something technically on the OHP. I may video a few sets to see what’s going on. Today went ok weightwise but felt sloppy
Got into 22.5kg Db for Bench. It felt a little heavier than I would’ve wished.

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

I feel I’m missing something technically on the OHP. I may video a few sets to see what’s going on. Today went ok weightwise but felt sloppy

I don't do OHP with a bar all that often but a couple of things that have helped with the solidity were (a) bracing harder and (b) keeping elbows tucked on the eccentric.

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I don't do OHP with a bar all that often but a couple of things that have helped with the solidity were (a) bracing harder and (b) keeping elbows tucked on the eccentric.

I find Bracing is hardest on the OHP.

Dtp1979

Cycle 14 week 6 Squats

Toe squats to 100kg x 1

120kg x 5
135kg x 3
150kg x 1

Rdl 80kg x 3 x 10

Leg extensions 72.5 x 4 x 10

Ab wheel rollout x 3 x 10

Rower
300m @ 38m/s
300m @ 41m/s
300m @ 45m/s

I dropped the drop sets today to kinda ease into a Deload. That, and some laziness being honest.
The squats moved well, all except for the 150. It looks a lot faster in the video than it felt. I’m pretty sure depth was in but it’s impossible to tell with the safety bars blocking the angle.
Rdl s were becoming a total grind lately so I’ve taken off a load of weight and increased reps.

https://youtu.be/cTpDWn_gDLY

Deano7788

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Cycle 14 week 6 Squats

Toe squats to 100kg x 1

120kg x 5
135kg x 3
150kg x 1

Rdl 80kg x 3 x 10

Leg extensions 72.5 x 4 x 10

Ab wheel rollout x 3 x 10

Rower
300m @ 38m/s
300m @ 41m/s
300m @ 45m/s

I dropped the drop sets today to kinda ease into a Deload. That, and some laziness being honest.
The squats moved well, all except for the 150. It looks a lot faster in the video than it felt. I’m pretty sure depth was in but it’s impossible to tell with the safety bars blocking the angle.
Rdl s were becoming a total grind lately so I’ve taken off a load of weight and increased reps.

https://youtu.be/cTpDWn_gDLY

From the video depth looked to be easily ok from what I could see anyway.

Just from looking at the video, would you engage your back/lats when squatting? It's difficult to tell but looks kind of like the bar is more just resting on your back rather than actively engaging the muscles there and the bar seems to fall forward and out of position a bit on the way up (possibly also caused by hips rising a bit quicker out of the hole). It's something I'm actually guilty of myself and actively trying to correct, it caused the bar to roll on the way up on my single last Friday, although thankfully the weight was light enough that the rep was still easy even with the loss of position but had to fight harder than I should have.

Alf Veedersane

Deano7788 wrote: »

From the video depth looked to be easily ok from what I could see anyway.

Just from looking at the video, would you engage your back/lats when squatting? It's difficult to tell but looks kind of like the bar is more just resting on your back rather than actively engaging the muscles there and the bar seems to fall forward and out of position a bit on the way up. It's something I'm actually guilty of myself and actively trying to correct, it caused the bar to roll on the way up on my single last Friday, although thankfully the weight was light enough that the rep was still easy even with the loss of position but had to fight harder than I should have.

Just to add, it would have exacerbated that by dropping into the hole quickly...because when I drop into the hole too quickly, my hips come up a bit quicker because I lost tightness in glutes etc and if I've been a bit loose on upper back tightness, it pushes me forward.

That being said, the weight moved well. Just a couple of minor tweaks to make it move even faster and cleaner.

Dtp1979

Deano7788 wrote: »

From the video depth looked to be easily ok from what I could see anyway.

Just from looking at the video, would you engage your back/lats when squatting? It's difficult to tell but looks kind of like the bar is more just resting on your back rather than actively engaging the muscles there and the bar seems to fall forward and out of position a bit on the way up (possibly also caused by hips rising a bit quicker out of the hole). It's something I'm actually guilty of myself and actively trying to correct, it caused the bar to roll on the way up on my single last Friday, although thankfully the weight was light enough that the rep was still easy even with the loss of position but had to fight harder than I should have.

I do try to squeeze my back and keep it all tight but the bar sometimes does feel loose. Although it didn’t feel lose today, the video shows it was a bit. Is it a bad thing to drop into the hole too quick?

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Is it a bad thing to drop into the hole too quick?

Not necessarily. But for most of us, it usually means we've lost a bit of tension and invariably ends up in hips coming up too quickly.

Dtp1979

Cycle 14 week 6 Bench Press TnG

60kg x 5
67.5kg x 3
75kg x 3

B.B. row 60kg x 4 x 12

Db OHP
10kg x 10
14kg x 10
18kg x 10

Db Shrugs 28kg x 3 x 20

Overhead cable pulldown 25.5 x 3 x 10
Hammer curls 18kg x 3 x 12
Side plank raises +10kg x 3 x 13

Tricep cable pushdowns 25.5 x 3 x 12
Db rev flys 8kg x 3 x 12

Benching was uncomfortable today. Most definatley pain in the shoulder again so no drop sets. OHP was fine though. Typical.

Dtp1979

Cycle 14 week 6 Deadlift 20mm deficit

145kg x 5
165kg x 3
182.5kg x 1

Core side dip things 20kg x 4 x 20

Leg curl 40 x 4 x 12

Rower
300m @41m/s
350m @43m/s
350m @47m/s

165 kinda felt like a struggle. I don’t think I was awake cause on my first attempt at 182.5 I went for a double underhand grip... and got it off the floor to be fair. Major brain fart.
When I did get around to mixed grip, it felt very slow To go up and I wasn’t happy with my back position.
Had a go at the abwheel and it felt like my lower abs were gonna tear apart.
Hamstrings fried.
Rower was handy enough today. Went a bit further with distance

https://youtu.be/LadZ-QDyUOg

Dtp1979

Cycle 14 week 6 OHP

42.5kg x 5
47.5kg x 3
52.5kg x 1

57.5kg x 1

47.5kg x 3 x 5

Lat pulldowns NG
55 x 6
65 x 6
75 x 8
85 x 8
95 x 5
100 x 5

Ab wheel 8, 10, 12

Db Bench 22.5kg x 3 x 10
Db shrugs 40kg x 5 x 12

Lat raises 6kg x 3 x 12
Hammer curls 20kg, 18kg, 16kg x 12

OHP was good today. It wasn’t on the books to go for 57.5 but 52.5 felt really good so I had a go. A Little grindy but solid.
Db Bench was good. No pain and maybe 1/10 discomfort on the shoulder.
20kg hammercurls were far too bro for me today.

Mr. CooL ICE

Dtp1979 wrote: »

20kg hammercurls were far too bro for me today.

How so? Nobody else in the gym for you to eyeball in the mirror

Dtp1979

Dole Scrounging Vegan Crossfitter wrote: »

How so? Nobody else in the gym for you to eyeball in the mirror

Of course yes. Ben Dunne’s gym opening has killed off this place

Dtp1979

Squats

Toe squats
60kg x 5
80kg x 2

Squats
105kg x 1
120kg x 1
135kg x 1
145kg x 1

Deadlifts
80kg x 3
110kg x 2
125kg x 1
145kg x 1
160kg x 1 beltless double overhand PB
180kg x 1 beltless PB
Belt
190kg x 1
200kg x 1

Cycle 14 finished up yesterday and I’m away on Thursday, so I’ve a few days with no plan to follow and to mess around.
Squats weren’t supposed to feel that heavy and deadlifts weren’t supposed to feel that light, except for the 200 which was a grind, as expected.
No intentional PB’s today but I got some anyway .
160 was comfortable enough doublehanded and beltless.
The heaviest weights I pull are usually later in the morning, between 7-7.30 am. I’m probably properly awake and warmed up by then. I should really look into testing around midday sometime. It’d be interesting to compare

Dtp1979

Benchpress

40kg x 8
50kg x 8
60kg x 8
65kg x 6
70kg x 5
80kg x 1

Db Rev flys 10kg x 4 x 10

Lat pulldown NG

60 x 7
75 x 6
85 x 5
95 x 4
100 x 3

Ab wheel x 3 x 10
Side plank raise x 3 x 10 (no rest)

Lat raises 6kg x 4 x 12
Tricep pushdowns 25.5 x 4 x 10
Biceps cable machine 25.5 x 4 x 12

Handy aul session. Some pain on the 80kg bench and a definite weakness because of it. Other than that all good

Dtp1979

Benchpress

30kg x 12
35kg x 12
40kg x 12
45kg x 12
50kg x 12

Seated cable row
50 x 4 x 12

Sit ups x 4 x 20

Trap bar shrugs
125kg x 10
115kg x 12
110kg x 15
100kg x 2 x 15

Ab wheel rollout x 3 x 10
Tricep pushdowns 24 x 3 x 12
Hammer curls 18kg x 3 x 12

1,000m row

My shoulder got a good going over at the physio last Thursday. Damn dry needles feel weird. I’m gonna keep the weight light for this week and into a new cycle next week.

Dtp1979

Front squats
Bar x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 2
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
80kg x 5

OHP
30kg x 8
35kg x 5
40kg x 5
45kg x 2
50kg x 2 x 1

Tricep pushdowns x 5 x 12

It’s been a while since front squats were first on the menu. I had though about testing but 110kg felt way too heavy so there wasn’t a hope of beating 120kg.

Kept the OHP very light and concentrated on bracing every muscle in my body. It did help to be fair. I noticed some flaring out on the left side when lowering the bar. Something to work on for sure.

Hopefully I’ll get cycle 15 written up over the weekend

Dtp1979

I’m feeling like a change is needed for a while. I was contemplating doing Hanleys program (simple program to get stronger) again for maybe 10-12 weeks, up until Xmas and test around then. The last few weeks I’d taper off the assistance work.
Any thoughts?

Alf Veedersane

I'd keep the pressing to a minimum given how long your shoulder is taking to get better and work around it with isolation work that manages the ROM so it doesn't aggravate the injury

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I'd keep the pressing to a minimum given how long your shoulder is taking to get better and work around it with isolation work that manages the ROM so it doesn't aggravate the injury

That’d suit alright. Lighter pressing doesn’t seem to bother me at all. I’ve hit my 100kg Bench this year so goal achieved...although I’m nowhere near that now, but still.

Alf Veedersane

Dtp1979 wrote: »

That’d suit alright. Lighter pressing doesn’t seem to bother me at all. I’ve hit my 100kg Bench this year so goal achieved...although I’m nowhere near that now, but still.

Lighter pressing at low volume might not bother it but it may be a movement that aggravates it at higher weight/volume. Worth writing down the movements that do bother it and look for common mechanics that aggravate and see what workarounds won't aggravate it.

Obviously, physio guidance would be important but good for you to assess and understand as well

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Lighter pressing at low volume might not bother it but it may be a movement that aggravates it at higher weight/volume. Worth writing down the movements that do bother it and look for common mechanics that aggravate and see what workarounds won't aggravate it.

Obviously, physio guidance would be important but good for you to assess and understand as well

Nowadays it just seems that heavy bench is the agressor. And even at that it’s minimal. Two 6 week blocks might be no harm. Just keep it lighter than I should for pressing.

Dtp1979

Hanleys WASPTGS

LB Back Squat 112.5kg x 5 x 8

Front squat 60kg x 3 x 8

Leg press 100kg x 5 x 8

Leg extension 55 x 4 x 12

Back to the very first program. Nearly 2 years ago now. The difference this time is I’m starting with nearly double the weight.
Oh my poor legs. . Horrible horrible workout. Reps over 5 should be classed as torture. On the second rep of sets 3 & 4 I lost my balance in the hole, essentially turning it into a 3 second paused squat. It made the rest of the sets a nightmare. Set 5 wasn’t too bad. This feels harder than smolov Jr. Then again this reaction is to be expected by my body anytime I go over 5 reps. Totally forgot the AMRAP at the end....thankfully.

The thought of doing front squats was much worse than actually doing them. I was fairly light headed by set 3 so stopped for fear of fainting. Too much cardio too soon.

Leg press was not nice. Hamstrings starting to feel tight.

Leg extensions.....(puke emoji)

That was some shock to the body.....just what I needed

Dtp1979

Hanleys WASPTGS

Benchpress paused

55kg x 5 x 8

Db incline press 14kg x 5 x 8

Db flat press 18kg x 5 x 8

Skull crushers 15kg x 4 x 12

Tricep cable pushdowns 21 x 4 x 12

Oh the Doms. Sore.
I’m working these lifts off 80% 1rm. So 55kg is 70% of 80%, if that makes sense. There will be no OHP day I’m this cycle. Bench once a week, light enough and this should help my recovery. I’ll add in a back day.
Everything was handy. I would’ve used 16kg DB’s for incline bench but they were missing. Prob better off being easy 14 than harder 18 for today.
First time doing skull crushers in a long time. Last attempt killed my elbows. Perfect today though

Dtp1979

Hanleys WASPTGS

Deadlift 20mm deficit

142.5kg x 5 x 8

Snatch grip rdl 60kg x 5 x 8

Rack pull 140kg x 5 x 8

Leg curl cckg x 4 x 12

Hmmmmm. Rotten. Whatever about 8 rep squats being outlawed, prescribing deadlifts with 8 reps should come with punishment of death. I’m telling ya, it ain’t right. Got them done. Horrible.

Kept it light on snatch grip DL cause I’d no idea what I was doing. Kept the lays tight but at that weight it didn’t bother them. Defiantly using straps next time as grip was poor.

The lowest setting on rack pull was barely below my knee. Will be going a lot heavier on these. Interesting constant tension in the hamstrings that I wasn’t expecting.

Dtp1979

Pull ups/back day

NG Pull-ups x 5 x 6

Lat pulldowns 60 x 5 x 8

Seated cable row 60 x 5 x 8

Trap bar shrugs 105kg x 4 x 12

Overhead cable pulldowns 25 x 3 x 10
Db rev flys 8kg x 3 x 10

Biceps x 4 x 10
Ab wheel rollout x 4 x 10

Felt great to finally do pull-ups again. Tired near the last few reps but never in doubt. The goal.....5 x 10 BW.

1-2 second pause at the top of shrugs. Made life harder. Good pumpy session.
Had to turn sideways walking out the door cause I didn’t want my elbows hitting the door jams

Dtp1979

SQUAT

120kg x 5 x 6

Front squats 65kg x 5 x 8

Leg extension 60 x 2 x 12

Main lift moved reasonably well, but if a grind on the last rep. Worlds apart from last week. Short on time. Didn’t enjoy front squats.

Dtp1979

Bench press paused

60kg x 5 x 6

Incline DB Press 16kg x 5 x 8

Flat DB Press 18kg x 5 x 10

Skull crusher 20kg x 3 x 10

Cable pushdowns 22.5 x 4 x 12

I’d say the last 3 reps I started to feel it on the shoulder. Nothing bad but just enough to remind me.

Incline bench and flat were simple. Went to 10 for flat instead of 8. Will taper back once the weight starts to heavy up. No issues with the shoulder on either

Skull crusher was slightly uncomfortable in my right elbows. It gives a great pump. I’ll have a go next week. Any issues and I’ll stop

Dtp1979

Deadlift 20mm deficit

152.5kg x 5 x 6

Snatch grip RDL 70kg x 5 x 8

Rack pulls 150kg x 5 x 8

Leg extensions 35 x 3 x 12

That wasn’t bad. It’s official, reps over 6 are bad for you on Deadlift & Squat.
Rdls giving me no bother. I’ll go up in 10kgs from now on
Wouid it be ok to do rack pulls tng? It’s a fairly short ROM. I tried it on one set and it fried my hamstrings