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

What happened to your hair!? How do you like the new style? It too suits you.

How narrow is your sumo stance? How big is the difference to your conventional?
 
Antti said:
What happened to your hair!? How do you like the new style? It too suits you.

How narrow is your sumo stance? How big is the difference to your conventional?
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Haha I needed to "clear my head!" It feels much better. I don't have hair in my mouth every time I bend over to take a it of something! My stance is just outside of my grip width so pretty narrow. More narrow than most. The difference is actually not large. Sometimes I PR with my sumo and sometimes with my conventional. I think I like lifting heavier on sumo more though because my back is never sore after heavy sumo's and I like that I can use my legs more. I end up back-lifting heavy conventionals way too much as it's hard for me to get in a good position with my long legs. however a very narrow stance and flared toes helps with this in conventional, as I can push my knees outwards without moving my grip wider so my hips are closer to the bar.

How are you feeling btw @Antti ?
 
Philippe Geoffrion said:
Haha I needed to "clear my head!" It feels much better. I don't have hair in my mouth every time I bend over to take a it of something! My stance is just outside of my grip width so pretty narrow. More narrow than most. The difference is actually not large. Sometimes I PR with my sumo and sometimes with my conventional. I think I like lifting heavier on sumo more though because my back is never sore after heavy sumo's and I like that I can use my legs more. I end up back-lifting heavy conventionals way too much as it's hard for me to get in a good position with my long legs. however a very narrow stance and flared toes helps with this in conventional, as I can push my knees outwards without moving my grip wider so my hips are closer to the bar.

How are you feeling btw @Antti ?
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I can understand your point about the hair. I haven't had scissors or such touch my hair in what, 17 years or so? But it's inevitable that the day will come.

It can be a good thing to have the deadlift stances close to each other, more carryover that way. Have you tried a very wide sumo stance, like toes to the plates? How much worse are you that way?

Me feeling? Thanks for asking. It's starting to feel like the flu is pretty much gone. The fever got really bad on a day or two but maybe it made the bug pass quickly. I'm not yet at 100% but likely not far. I think I'll try to get a couple of exercise sessions this week, just get the body used to lifting again, doing stiff leg deadlifts, pause squats, behind the neck presses, flyes, hammer curls, face pulls etc that stretch, mobilize and invigorate me. Hopefully back to real training after the weekend. I have liked my new cycle and the training method, learning to strain, if that's the right figure of speech. I'm still uncertain if it will prove fruitful or not and what would be the best training plan for the future. I'm still in the dark on how much time I have to train with work and family so I'm afraid to commit to any long term plans. I also don't know when my next meet will be. There's a bench only meet in July that I will likely go to, I believe I'll pass on a local meet that's less than a month from now, it's too soon and I've competed four times in five months or so; maybe it's time for a break.
 
Antti said:
I can understand your point about the hair. I haven't had scissors or such touch my hair in what, 17 years or so? But it's inevitable that the day will come.

It can be a good thing to have the deadlift stances close to each other, more carryover that way. Have you tried a very wide sumo stance, like toes to the plates? How much worse are you that way?

Me feeling? Thanks for asking. It's starting to feel like the flu is pretty much gone. The fever got really bad on a day or two but maybe it made the bug pass quickly. I'm not yet at 100% but likely not far. I think I'll try to get a couple of exercise sessions this week, just get the body used to lifting again, doing stiff leg deadlifts, pause squats, behind the neck presses, flyes, hammer curls, face pulls etc that stretch, mobilize and invigorate me. Hopefully back to real training after the weekend. I have liked my new cycle and the training method, learning to strain, if that's the right figure of speech. I'm still uncertain if it will prove fruitful or not and what would be the best training plan for the future. I'm still in the dark on how much time I have to train with work and family so I'm afraid to commit to any long term plans. I also don't know when my next meet will be. There's a bench only meet in July that I will likely go to, I believe I'll pass on a local meet that's less than a month from now, it's too soon and I've competed four times in five months or so; maybe it's time for a break.
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I think it's also fun to go from one extreme (long hair) to another as it shocks everyone and it feels like a major novelty change. I haven't as it seems it would be painful and not my strongest. have you done super wide sumo? I feel I wouldn't get much power at all to be honest and I don't think my hips would like it very much at all. I did wide stances squats once and I was much weaker and my adductors were sore for like over a week, probably strained, so I steer clear of heavy loads in such a stance.

Glad you are feeling better. The flu is a major bummer...but getting back and moving again is definitely a good step, as long as you don't overdo it! Those exercises seem very tonic inducing, as I like to say. I like BTN Presses because they seem to "open" up the chest area, which I feel really clears the body a bit. It's hard to know what will and what won't work in training, but I'm sure your decision to on whichever path you choose is based on sound reasoning. You'll find out and if something doesn't work, you know for later and can make the necessary adjustments. It's all about learning.
 
Philippe Geoffrion said:
I think it's also fun to go from one extreme (long hair) to another as it shocks everyone and it feels like a major novelty change. I haven't as it seems it would be painful and not my strongest. have you done super wide sumo? I feel I wouldn't get much power at all to be honest and I don't think my hips would like it very much at all. I did wide stances squats once and I was much weaker and my adductors were sore for like over a week, probably strained, so I steer clear of heavy loads in such a stance.

Glad you are feeling better. The flu is a major bummer...but getting back and moving again is definitely a good step, as long as you don't overdo it! Those exercises seem very tonic inducing, as I like to say. I like BTN Presses because they seem to "open" up the chest area, which I feel really clears the body a bit. It's hard to know what will and what won't work in training, but I'm sure your decision to on whichever path you choose is based on sound reasoning. You'll find out and if something doesn't work, you know for later and can make the necessary adjustments. It's all about learning.
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I open my foot angle a lot in the sumo lifts, both squat and deadlift, so I don't think I am that far from the plates as it is. I believe I have the mobility to go all the way without odd aches or strains. I don't know if I am stronger in that position. I will try to go wider some time in the future. Maybe learn the current width first and see where I go naturally. Wider would mean shorter range of motion which would be an advantage in competition. The local elite powerlifter thought I could well be better with sumo and my next step to improve my form would be to go as wide as I can.
 
Antti said:
I open my foot angle a lot in the sumo lifts, both squat and deadlift, so I don't think I am that far from the plates as it is. I believe I have the mobility to go all the way without odd aches or strains. I don't know if I am stronger in that position. I will try to go wider some time in the future. Maybe learn the current width first and see where I go naturally. Wider would mean shorter range of motion which would be an advantage in competition. The local elite powerlifter thought I could well be better with sumo and my next step to improve my form would be to go as wide as I can.
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If your hips agree with it, then yes it is probably an advantage as it shortens the range of motion. My hip structure doesn't like it however, even without weight, standing like that is very uncomfortable. I feel power also diminishes a bit. I've always found that wider on any lift is hardest at the start but easier at the lockout.
 
I was very saddened today by the news in Paris. Being there two weeks ago and seeing the Notre Dame, it was a deep wound to hear that it succumbed to flames. I am French and that cathedral was a symbol of the dedication, skill and unity of the people. A beautiful sanctuary to those in need and a sight to behold. It weighed heavily on my mind today.

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Day 1 Week 4

Squats
Bar x 5, 135 x 5, 205 x 5, 230 x 5, 250 x 15 (P.R. Set)

S.G. RDL
135 x 10, 155 x 10, 175 x 10, 155 x 10, 135 x 10

Dips
10 x 5 sets

Face Pulls
20 x 5 sets

Hit a strong set on squats and probably had a few more in the tank. They weren't as deep as I imagined they were but just at the line of parallel....I believe. Changed the Snatch Grip Deadlifts to Snatch grip RDL's as I think they make more sense of such high reps. Tension is kept through the whole set and it's quite exhausting to stop 10 reps from a dead-stop and a little less efficient for hypertrophy I feel. The assistance remains the same. My squat is progressing nicely and I believe my deadlift woes are from a couple things. Going too heavy, too often and fatigue from the squat workouts. I think from now on, I will just do the minimum reps for the deadlifts, so they are more practice/speed style and far less fatiguing. I will also add a small deficit to help with strength off the floor. So on 5 + day, I will just do 5, resetting between each reps. I think this will help and my legs will keep getting stronger from squats. I will be fresher and develop better technique off the floor this way. All the other lifts have been moving along nicely, so I am happy with that!

 
Nice job on the squats! Good weight for lots of reps. You managed to keep your upper body nice and tight. To be perfectly honest I think they were lacking a bit in depth. But that's no problem, just go deeper.

Your plan on cutting the deadlift volume and letting the squat drive it sounds like a good plan. I did a cycle just like that and I made great progress.
 
Antti said:
Nice job on the squats! Good weight for lots of reps. You managed to keep your upper body nice and tight. To be perfectly honest I think they were lacking a bit in depth. But that's no problem, just go deeper.

Your plan on cutting the deadlift volume and letting the squat drive it sounds like a good plan. I did a cycle just like that and I made great progress.
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Thanks! Yes I agree, the depth is somewhat inconsistent as well. We'll see how it goes! I know one thing is I'll be a lot fresher. Since my deadlift improved a lot at the beginning of 5/3/1 through high reps, I think it got to the point where I needed to train in a different fashion, as my weights climbed quickly. Now, I need to focus more on perfecting the position and drive off the ground, something I did with PTTP prior to 5/3/1, but is somewhat neglected in high rep work. I think this is a difference in deads and squats that has to be addressed. While now, my squat is going very well with high reps, my deads will be trained with energy to spare in non exhaustive fashion, allowing me to focus on form.
 
Day 2 Week 4

Bench Press
Bar x q10, 95 x 10, 135 x 8, 165 x 5, 185 x 5, 200 x 8 P.R. Set
5 x 2 sets @ 165 (Paused)

Rows
20 x 5 sets

Incline press
115 x 5, 135 x 5, 145 x 5, 135 x 5, 115 x 5

Inc Curls
12, 10 w/ 20 lbs

Band Y's
25 x 2 sets

Accidentally went too heavy on bench, was supposed to be 195 I believe. That's okay, hit the same number as 2 weeks ago, which is expected because it's only been two weeks. Did a few paused sets after. My high rep sets aren't paused. To do so, I'd never really set rep P.R.'s. I'll be doing more paused during peaking times before testing a max. Incline press was a bit hard today, shoulder wasn't at it's happiest, maybe because of dips yesterday. The 145 set was pretty difficult on the last rep, but my form didn't break down so that's good. Just a bit slower than the previous rep. I really like the incline curls. The Y's I feel target my lower traps very well. I try to hit my mid back with rows, but because of my shoulder's wonkiness, my lat seems to take over on my right side. it was extremely pumped on my right side. This would be fine, if I was trying to work my lat but I was trying to work my mid back. I feel those muscles became weak long ago, and because of that my lat likes to take over everything. Face pulls don't give me that problem though, which is why I use them, but they don't do much for scapular depression. My issue seems to be overactive upper traps and lats, and weak lower traps. I will aim to improve this, as it'll help my shoulder, bench position and overall shoulder health and posture.
 
Day 3 Week 4

Deficit Sumo DL
135 x 5, 225 x 5, 265 x 5, 295 x 5, 325 x 5 (Top Set)

Front Squat
135 x 10, 165 x 10, 185 x 10, 205 x 10, 135 x 10

Seal Rows
95 x 10 x 5 sets

Dips
10 x 5 sets

Was kind of tired today, but the deadlifts were nice and light, for the reps. Focused on set up and tension. Realized before, I may have been "squatting" the weight too much, leading to hips shooting up. Found it is stronger to be more over the bar. The hips are closer, knees shoved out. I feel much stronger this way. Did quite a heavy weight on Front Squats, which actually wasn't too terrible. Did the seal row today, which I really like actually. Feel the back is felt doing the work. Good session, but now I feel a bit tired, which I felt after my squat day.

Thinking of putting upper body days first so they are not as affected after lower body. A squat day takes more out of me than a bench press day, so it'd make sense to go Bench on Monday (when everyone else is) and squat on Tuesday. Or perhaps press on Monday, as to keep the powerlifts practiced in order that they are performed in a meet.
 
Day 4 Week 4

Warmup

Press
Bar x 8, 95 x 5, 110 x 5, 120 x 5, 130 x 5, 140 x 5 120 x 7

CGBP
135 x 10, 155 x 10, 165 x 10, 155 x 10, 135 x 10

Seated Cable Rows
20 x 4 sets

Barbell Curls
6,5,4 w/ 75 lbs.

Skipped a warmup set on press because all the plates were gone. Went through it pretty quick. Shoulder's felt off a bit lately and upper back tight. Maybe too much pressing? Than again my right shoulder's funky. It is not really a bother in the press. reminded with the heavier sets, how important lower body tension and the tall chest is! 140 x 5 is a pretty solid set for me, and it was tough! 120 x 7 was hard after this set. Went heavier on the close grip bench press, as this is moving along nicely. Rows for the back. Was going to do 5 sets, but a trainer and his clients took it while I was benching as I was alternating the two movements. Barbell curls again. Done very strict and my biceps get tired very fast from these. Left the volume pretty low, as I felt they were stimulated enough. Stretched for a bit then went home.
 
Week 5 Day 1

Squats
Bar x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 215 x 3, 240 x 3, 265 x 12 (P.r. Set)

Snatch Grip RDL
135 x 10, 185 x 10, 225 x 10, 185 x 10, 135 x 10

Dips
10 x 5 sets

Face Pulls
20 x 5 sets

Nice little squat session. Noticed I have some asymmetries during my squat. it feels as though my right side arrives at the bottom before my left side. Odd, but I suppose not that unusual. Good set today. Decided to really push snatch grip RDL's in weight. No doubt, the grip is the hardest part of this lift. My forearms got extremely pumped after the 225 set. I don't use straps but extra grip work never really hurts. The back of my body still got a great workout as I never lost the bar. Dips felt good today as did the face pulls. I think about rubbing my triceps up against the lats and my shoulder feels a better groove. When I forget to do that, I often suffer for it later. Also adjusted the face pulls so they end up near the forehead whereas I usually do them to the throat. Had to use the lowest weight on the cable stack for these but I feel the hit the lower traps a bit more.
 
Day 2 Week 4

Bench Press
Bar x 5, 135 x 5, 170 x 3, 195 x 3, 210 x 5 (fail 6th)

Incline Press
135 x 10 x 5 sets

Rows
20 x 5 sets

Inc Curls
20 x 12, 8

Missed my 6th rep on bench with no spotter....how embarrassing. Just let it down on my chest and rolled it off in embarrassment on the busiest day I've seen at the gym in months....:mad: Was so sure I would make the rep. Bleh! Took it easy on the incline presses. I think I've been doing too much chest work with all the dips and inclines and close grip. Buttttt, I also think this will pay off later when I reduce the assistance and take a deload. I think it's just delayed adaptation and my chest is a bit tired. That way I can realize the strength I've been building, as opposed to pressing in a fatigued state. On the bright side, rows felt really great. I'm actually hitting the target muscles. Curls were good for a burn and....I stayed from 7 until 11:00 at the gym to watch the Sharks clinch the playoffs in game 7! It was quite a game/series! So that was awesome.(y)
 
Ah man... I remember my very first day in a weight room, summer break before my freshmen year of high school. I put 115# on the bench, no collars... and in the process of lowering it to my chest for the very first rep, one of the 35# plates slid right off the bar, and then of course the bar smashed into the floor on the opposite side. I stood up, and had a room full of gigantic 18-year-olds (at least that's how they seemed to me at the time) staring at me and shaking their heads. Good times.
 
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