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5/3/1 - Back from the Dead(lift)

Day 7

Pull

Wagon Wheels (Sumo)
185 x 5, 275 x 3, 365 x 3,

425 x 2, 455 x 1 (90 % + sets)

Snatch Grip Hover off 1 inch plate
225 x 6 x 3 sets

Chins - 3 grips
2 x RM Circuits

Cable Rows (Elbows Tucked)
15 x 3

G.H. Raises
Max x 3 sets (hard!)

Overhead plate raises
1 10 lbs. plate per hand
25, drop one plat, 25 reps

Decided to do a heavy partial sumo pull. Felt really nice to lift heavy! 455 felt very solid. Slow at start, then easy lockout. Decided a good day to go heavy, which I'll do every 3-4 weeks. Snatch deads to work the lower part, slow and tight with a pause right off where the floor would be. A little more back then decided to do a nice challenge set with OH plate raises to 50 reps, but had to ditch one of the plates to finish. It was quite a burn. Good day for lifting, but didn't feel like doing too much hard work after the heavy pull.
 
Day 1
Overhead/Bench Support

High Incline Rack Press @ 80 % Incline
95 x 5, 115 x 5, 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 175 x 3
185 x 3 (R.P. Style)

BTN Press
95 lbs. x 8 x 3 sets

Wide Grip/Elbows Out Rows
25 x 4 sets (ascending weights)

Bands Y's, Rear Flies, Rows

K.B. Windmills + Hangs

DId a high incline press, as my back was fatigued from pulling yesterday. Jammed my neck a bit on the last rep, pressing back into pad. BTN press made it feel better, as it requires an opposite motion, pushing head forward. Mostly upper back work and stability work after this. Quite happy with the press as it's pretty close to 90 degrees and is similar to my lower incline presses earlier this cycle. However, rest pause allows a bit of rest. I rested about 15-20 seconds between the reps.
 
Day 2
Squat

Low Bar (Chucks)
Bar x 3, 135 x 3, 225 x 3, 275 x 3
300 x 3

Olympic Squats (squat shoes)
225 x 6, 6
225 x 18

Dips
15 x 3 sets

Felt like squatting with the bar today. Neck felt like Tin man in morning but was not a bother by afternoon. Last night and this morning, couldn't turn head without moving shoulders and torso. Made driving to work a blast. I can't help but feel constant training has aided in my recover abilities.

Low bar felt very solid, not a P.R., but a very strong top set. Maybe RPE 7 ish?
Thighs looked small in the mirror this morning. Fueled a high rep workout. Did a good amount on last set RM. never done 225 x 20 but am right there. Back got tired near end.

Found out the safety bar weighs 20 lbs more than I had previously presumed. Thus all my previous Safety squats have been miscalculated and heavier than I'd thought. This made me feel what I've known. I'm stronger than I've calculated. Mentally, certain weights are heavier than they actually are.

Did some other moves, renegade lunges, med ball leg curls, hangs and steinborn twists with a pic pipe. Happy with squat for now, seeing as I haven't done the movement in a while. Think adductor strength may be neglected in my training? Also, hips still rise early...in both squat + deadlift.
 
Day 3

Close Grip on Boards
185 x 5 x many sets

Hammer Grip Chins
sets of 8 between presses

Push presses
5 x 3 @ 135

Underhand Rows
35 lbs. x 5 x 3

Day 4
Bench (Feet up)
155 x 12 x 3 sets

Incline D-bell
12 x 3 @ 45 lbs.

Floor Flies
8 x 3 w/ 10 lbs.

Day 5
Pull

Snatch Grip DL (Sadiv sets)
315 x 1 x 10 sets

Trap Bar DL
315 x 6 x 3 sets

Chins (multiple grips)
@ sets alt 3 grip (hammer, wide OH< baseball (left over, right under and reverse)

Muscle Snatch
95 lbs. x 8 x 3 sets

T-Rows
Buildup sets of 25 reps to top set.

Incline Scarecrows

Notes
Board press feels harder than full R.O.M. Perhaps it's the lack of stretch from the pecs, the pause? Arm day is made up of compound moves that bias the arms a bit more. Bench day was light this time around to allow neck some breathing room. Pull day was great. Felt it better to do more volume for my heavy lift, rather than pushing for a max. Snatch grip deads are feeling strong. My previous strongest single was 315 and that was some time ago. It went very smoothly. Wanted to practice this pull, as it seems even a tad more technical than a regular deadlift. There's a longer pull, and my hips, knees, ankles and torso must go through a greater range. All pulls felt solid, even with the small rest. With the set-up getting quicker and quicker each rep.

Trap Bar DL's give the quads a little more work. Did these rep as constant tension touch and go, as opposed to allowing the bar to drop, I lowered slowly. Very concrete way to rep. No looseness ever allowed for the duration. Chins felt hard today, did less than normal. Went very light on rows and actually felt the right muscles working. Go figure.

Had a bench press epiphany today as well. I think my bench is due for a drastic technique overhaul, and while it remains to be tested with heavy weight, I believe up until this point I've been doing it all wrong and have maybe found the remedy to my issue, which is set-up related. I've found the bottom of my bench very unstable for some time and wondered why. No matter how much I controlled the bar going down, I always felt a lack of stability in the bottom. In analyzing my technique, I think I've found why.

I've always pushed my arch very high, up and onto my toes tucked underneath my butt. This position allows a very high sternum, a support on the upper traps and a suitable position for a strong leg drive. However, the issue occurs in the sense that i'm basically set up with very little of my bodies mass, particularly my back, on the bench to help support the load. As the bar is lowered, the C.o.g moves closer to the hips as the elbows tuck some. That small base of support on my upper back is lost, the shoulders come up a tad and the elbows back and my pressing position is compromised. Due to the small amount of support, the precarious arch position and barbell's mass centered over an unsupported part of the torso, my upper back is rolled over. It is certainly not strong enough to hold this position alone, and has been for some time. My solution became clear. I need more of my back on the bench. I need my feet solid on the floor, and not on my tippy toes. I tried feet forward, in front of the knees, and less emphasis on lower back arch and more on upper back, chest open, shoulders down, thus leaving more of mass on my bench. The support was there, and although I only attempted a few reps with 135, the position felt much more secure. No jerking and large movements of the torso, and a solid platform for me to lower a large weight onto. Will it be better with heavy weights than my old style? We will have to see, but after testing it, I am confident this way will be better.
 
Day 4

Squat
High Bar-225 x 6 x 3 sets

Single Leg DL -6 x 3 sets

Did the squats narrow stance, knee dominant, bodybuilding, constant tension style. Was surprised on how good it felt to push the knees forward instead of sitting back. A little knee extension strength to help my squat.
 
Day 1 (Back to the main lifts)

Shoulder circles/PVC moves/Flow

K-Bell Squeeze Rot/Band Y's, Rear Delts, Rows/Plyo Pushups

Bench Press
5 x 5x @ 175 lbs.

Standing Cable Rows
20 x 5 sets

K-Bell Bridge Presses
10, 8, 10 @ 53 lbs.

k-Bell Snatches
35 lbs. x 5 x 5 sets

After a stint with variety, I find I've found what I need to work on technique and strength wise. I've decided to "rebuild" my lifts now with volume with technique upgrades. Practiced my new bench style today and it feels solid. My arch isn't as high, but tightness is kept. Filmed three sets and the first looks the best. This is because when I keep my pecs tensed, the elbows stay under the bar. When I lower with my back and "loose" pecs, I am faster but not as stable. Something to consider.

Accessory work has shifted from isolation to integration. The standing cable rows challenges the core and even the hips to maintain stable. Pressing in the bridge engages the glutes, core and lats and I focus on squeezing my whole body and wedging under the bells. The pressing muscles get that extra boost and I can feel the extra tension surge throughout my body into the weights. This is what I hope to transfer into my lift. Practiced some snatches afterwards but couldn't go above 35 lbs. without beating my wrists to pulp. Feel they'll help with overall stability and shoulder health plus a little extra rear end work doesn't hurt.
 
"loose pecs" is the crux between my old and new style. In the past I concentrated on getting my back and elbows far behind, in fact the mobility I got through the positioning was far too much than I could use. With the "tense pecs", the movement is far more limited but efficient.

It is much tighter, in the past I would always lose control for the last inch near the chest, but no more. I'm also slower. But as I train and learn I don't worry about the velocity anymore. Maximum force = minimum speed. There is no way around it.
 
Day 2

Pulls

Deadlift (Conventional)
315 x 5 (Top set)

B1) Sumo
245 x 5 x 5

B2)Dips
10 x 5 sets

C1) D.B. K.B. Split Squat
10 x 5 sets 15 lbs.

C2) Pendlay Rows (supinated)
135 x 8 x 4 sets

D1) Windmill
5 x 5 sets @ 35 lbs. K.B.

D2)Bench Press (light/technique day)
135 x 5 x 5 sets

Doing top set with conventional for a few weeks, than switching to comp sumo stance as weight climbs. Found I've discovered my issue and have done the work to remedy it. Pulls feels much better with my back adjustment, core is tighter, and drive off the floor is better. Dips seem like a good lift to put between pulls. It's easy on the spine and different enough to not affect the pull. Split squats were killer, but done more with tension than pump, holding position, making sure ankles, knees and hips are going through the same motion they would when pulling. The upper back doesn't get to relax much either.

Pendlay rows felt better once I stopped bending my knees. I like to drag the bar as close to the body as possible and knees closer to locked allows the bar to travel in this path.

Bench was light and did my "core exercise between sets. I like the windmill here. It helps with shoulder stability, gives the hips more unilateral work, hits some obscure trunk muscles and aids in full body stability. Bench felt fine, but it's very hard to create a lot of tension with such a light weight. Slow descent, aiming to keep body tight and ready to press. Pressing part is easier when it is set up for success.
 
"loose pecs" is the crux between my old and new style. In the past I concentrated on getting my back and elbows far behind, in fact the mobility I got through the positioning was far too much than I could use. With the "tense pecs", the movement is far more limited but efficient.

It is much tighter, in the past I would always lose control for the last inch near the chest, but no more. I'm also slower. But as I train and learn I don't worry about the velocity anymore. Maximum force = minimum speed. There is no way around it.

Yes, velocity makes the lift easier....with light weights that is. Practicing tension makes any lift "harder", and I would cruise through these spots where I needed tension, only to find when the heavy weights came, I'd struggle. Now training light weights like they're heavy, I will not be "shocked" when the weights get heavy.
 
Yes, velocity makes the lift easier....with light weights that is. Practicing tension makes any lift "harder", and I would cruise through these spots where I needed tension, only to find when the heavy weights came, I'd struggle. Now training light weights like they're heavy, I will not be "shocked" when the weights get heavy.

Yes, velocity makes a lift easier. The deadlift is a prime example. Being fast off the floor means the bar will have kinetic energy which means I will work less after the beginning. To make it worse, as the bar moves fast, I simply can not put out maximum force on it when I would need it. However, lifting a light weight slowly means activating antagonistic muscles and that's no good either.

It appears training with light weights always comes with a caveat. Luckily, we can just remove "light" from the equation and we're all better.
 
This is an interesting discussion - the classic ballistic v. grind. Most folks would really want to have both. We all want to be able to deliver that quick blast of force (i.e. putting some velocity on the bar) for athleticism, but you also gotta train your ability to keep applying force for an extended duration. Certainly for competition lifts, the truly heavy stuff, grinding is the only way.

I wonder - is this where things like putting chains on the bar has some benefit? The weight is lighter at the bottom, so you can hit it pretty hard, but when the chains get engaged you are forced to dig in and grind? I've never done any sort of chain work, this just got me thinking.
 
This is an interesting discussion - the classic ballistic v. grind. Most folks would really want to have both. We all want to be able to deliver that quick blast of force (i.e. putting some velocity on the bar) for athleticism, but you also gotta train your ability to keep applying force for an extended duration. Certainly for competition lifts, the truly heavy stuff, grinding is the only way.

I wonder - is this where things like putting chains on the bar has some benefit? The weight is lighter at the bottom, so you can hit it pretty hard, but when the chains get engaged you are forced to dig in and grind? I've never done any sort of chain work, this just got me thinking.

Yes, we need the ability to generate force and the ability to access that quickly. The ratio between those factors depends on the individual needs. Train accordingly.

It is important to note that maximal effort should be saved for the correct time in an exercise. For example, a weightlifter does not accelerate maximally when he starts from the floor. I suspect this could also be beneficial for the deadlift.

I don't know about the chains. Thinking about the deadlift, maybe it could work, concentrate the effort in a more beneficial spot. Still, it doesn't fix the problem of the bar moving too quickly.

When we get to squats and chains, I don't see the sense. For an athlete, it doesn't make sense to train max effort over full ROM if the exercise doesn't need the max effort over full ROM. In that case, the athlete spends his finite recovery capability on something he doesn't need.

I've trained really little with accommodating resistance so I have little practical experience and my posts should be read with that in mind.
 
Day 3 Press

A1) Chins
5 x 14 sets

A2) Press
95 x 5, 110 x 5, 125 x 5
95 x 5 x 10 sets

K-Bell See Saw press
53 lbs. x 6 x 3 sets

Double K.B. Swings
53 lbs. x 10 x 3 sets

Press feeling strong today. Chins done between each set of presses. Haven't updated in a while and this was done on 11/13. I left for Reno this day, took a little RnR for vacation, and came back....slightly rested...slightly hung over.
 
Day 4

Squat
255 x 5 x 5

Single Leg DL's
25 lbs. per hand 6 x 3 sets

Not a lot today. This was when I left to come home from Reno @ 5:30 in the morning after two nights of fun and frivolities. But training suffered. It's a two hour drive and I had work at ten, but traffic is the stuff of nightmares at 9. I made it to work then went to train.

Probably not the best decision. My left hip insert in the anterior was barking. Could be from the drive, the weekend,lack of squatting? I tried many stances but each was painful. Got the volume and tried some lighter sets to no avail. Single leg deads helped, after I started supersetting them with lighter squat sets. Still, must try to remedy this.
 
Day 1

Bench Press
185 x 5 x 5

Tempo Bench/Feet up
135 x 10 x 3 sets

Cable Rows
20 x 5 sets

Rear delts/arms

Bench felt grand. I went a day before, but I was in no shape after Reno + squats. Took a day of rest and bench felt great. A lower rack height helped. Unrack felt good, proper lowering position. Sets became a little better as I progressed. This is how I know volume is key right now, maybe even frequency. Light days will come in handy.
 
Day 2

Deads (Conventional)
265 x 5, 305 x 5, 335 x 5
265 x 5 x 5 (conventional)

Pendlay Rows
135 x 8 x 4 sets

Dips x 10 x 4 sets

B.S.S.
20 lbs. x 12 x 2 sets

Not to heavy on accessory work. Things felt good. Pulling is feeling strong and not fatiguing right now. All reps are dead stop fashion. Wanted to do some light bench (135 x 5 x 5 ish) but ran out of time. Also forgot to post did some 5 x 3 sets of tempo squats on bench day with 185, and it felt much better. Slow will be key in descending into my squat. It makes my hip feel better and allows me to really feel the movement better. Bench/Press and dead are feeling good right now. I hope this trend continues.
 
Day 3

Chins
5 x 15 sets + 10 on last set (85)

Press
100 x 5, 115 x 5, 130 x 5
100 x 5 x 9 sets, 12 (RM on last set)

Incline D-bell
30 x 10, 40 x 10, 50 x 8 x 3 sets

Face Pulls
20 x 5 sets

Rear flies, arms

Good volume day for press and chins. Decided for a RM on final sets of each. Doing a set of 5 chins between each press set is very doable, and I see how someone can rack up quite a bit of volume with this method. Press groove was there today. Back position is key, and when it's locked, the bar goes right into the perfect groove, as if it's in a smith machine, which of course it's not.

Started the incline d-bell press doing both at the same time, then switched to doing one arm at a time. I think it was better, as I actually got the muscles I was looking to target active when I did that. Also, the core and stability demands increased as well, A win-win.

Face pulls to even out the incline presses, and some smaller accessory work to build up and reinforce the rest of the unit.
 
Haven’t updated in a while so here goes. Forgot some assistance exercises from past week but main sets more important.

day 4
Squat 270x 5 x 2 sets
Paused squats 225 x 5 x 3 sets

Single leg DL 6 x 3 sets
Hip still a bother.
 
Day 5

Bench
195 x 5 x 5
Band work

Single arm d-bell press
8 x 3 sets

T-bar rows
20 x 5 sets

Feeling fatigue of 5 straight days but still going strong. Rested one day then pulls

Day 6
Mobility and stretching
 
Day 7

deadlift (conventional)
355 x 5 (top set)

B1)light bench
135 x 5 x 5

B2) pendlay rows
8 x 5 sets

B3) sumo DL
285 x 5 x 5

C1) back ext
20 x 2 (bw)

C2) face pulls
25 x 2 sets

Conventional pull is feeling strong.
 
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