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

Day 5

A1) Decline Floor Press (paused, comp grip)
220 lbs x 6
A2) Yates Row
220 x 6
A3) Zercher Squat
220 x 3
B1) OH Press (narrow grip)
125 x 2
B2) Pullups
35 lbs x 3
B3) SLDL
125 x 5

Easy session. Decided to cut volume and do one quality set for the lighter exercises. Instead of going with light weights on light exercises decided to go heavy ish but cut reps. The weights are heavy but not struggle heavy and I leave a lot in the tank. I feel fresher and more reserved this way. Also, did a three exercise rotation today.

Decline Floor Press
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June 22, 2021

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WhatWouldHulkDo said:
@Philippe Geoffrion ,do you actually have any specific goals?

You train like someone who just loves training- which, of course, is awesome. But I sort of want to see you start touring around powerlifting meets.
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I have many specific goals Hulkster. In lifting and outside.

I developed a superstition at one point to never express my goals until I’ve reached them. For some reason when I externalized them to others, I felt I wasn’t doing them for myself anymore. It is not as though I think in posting them here that the members of SF would be unsupportive or tear them down. Au contraire. I just feel being internally driven works best for me.

It is like that old curse of mastering something in private only to go and show someone amidst a wave excitement and fail to reproduce your skill in front of others.

I would love to do a meet again but at this time, I am not training with the proper equipment to really focus on powerlifting. Also, complete commitment to just training the “Big Three” is undesirable at this time.

I like being well rounded, a Renaissance man, so to speak. I like having the feeling of physical, mental and spiritual vigor throughout the day. I don’t like the idea of my strength being only useful to a sport specific motion. In essence, I’d rather be able to tackle the vicissitudes of everyday life oomph then to have my strength only reserved for the gym.

It was not always this way...there were many dark times where I’d pound myself into the ground, leave it all in the gym...so that every other waking out was plagued with unbearable misery. My spirit shriveled, my mood dropped into an abyss and my Josie de vivre suffocated.

These days, I like strength practicing. I don’t get riled up and thrown into an all out frenzy, chest pounding, anxiously breathing and full bore adrenaline pumping to lift. It quite possible will return at some point, but I have the long game in mind. StrongFirst and StrongLast, so to speak.

There are numbers I plan to hit with the lifts I’m practicing right now. @pet' has also put into my head thoughts of other achievements I’d like to reach. If you stay tuned, you will know my goals after I’ve reached them. ?
 
Day 6

1) Press - 95 x 5, 125 x 5, 135 x 3, 130 x 3, 145 x 2, 135 x 3 (close grip)
2) Zercher Squat- worked up to a single of 315.
3) Bench Press (medium grip)
175 x 5

Training a buddy of mine and for once, I got to use an actual barbell. Must say, the skinny bar feels weird in my hands after years of using a tree branch or sewer pipe. Nice to know my estimates with the other weights were accurate.

Not the most focused session. We talked a lot as I haven’t seen him since returning from France. Since I am to return to work shortly, doing 40 hours a week, along with training my buddy, it appears I will be changing my training around all over again. C’est la vie.

Benched for the first time in 1.5 years. Don’t feel god awful...
 
Philippe Geoffrion said:
I got to use an actual barbell. Must say, the skinny bar feels weird in my hands after years of using a tree branch or sewer pipe. Nice to know my estimates with the other weights were accurate.
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I have been planning to buy a barbell set at some point (once I actually have the $$....) and have considered getting an axle bar/thick bar because thicker just feels better in my hands for some reason. How does a thicker bar vs standard seem to you after using thicker for so long?
 
bluejeff said:
I have been planning to buy a barbell set at some point (once I actually have the $$....) and have considered getting an axle bar/thick bar because thicker just feels better in my hands for some reason. How does a thicker bar vs standard seem to you after using thicker for so long?
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I like the feel of a thicker bar to be honest! The weight is distributed more evenly along the palm as opposed to feeling like a dominatrix’s high heel piercing one spot.
Of course I wouldn’t opt for too thick as it may limit your grip strength on certain exercises and leave parts of you undertrained comparatively. However... improving grip strength, I’ve found, can be one of the most game changing things you can do for your overall strength.

With a shoulder that used to give me problems, the fat bar was very helpful. Zerchers are actually less toilsome with a fatter bar as well. I seemed to farewell with all lifts using a fatter bar.

I feel the thicker bar requires more strength while the thinner bar requires more precision. Like chopping firewood vs driving a golf ball off a tee.
 
Philippe Geoffrion said:
I like the feel of a thicker bar to be honest! The weight is distributed more evenly along the palm as opposed to feeling like a dominatrix’s high heel piercing one spot.
Of course I wouldn’t opt for too thick as it may limit your grip strength on certain exercises and leave parts of you undertrained comparatively. However... improving grip strength, I’ve found, can be one of the most game changing things you can do for your overall strength.

With a shoulder that used to give me problems, the fat bar was very helpful. Zerchers are actually less toilsome with a fatter bar as well. I seemed to farewell with all lifts using a fatter bar.

I feel the thicker bar requires more strength while the thinner bar requires more precision. Like chopping firewood vs driving a golf ball off a tee.
Click to expand...
Now that's an analogy, I've not heard before on a training log. Haha.
 
q.Hung said:
@Philippe Geoffrion I saw your clip on Youtube. Seems like you get back to normal gym and normal barbell. Do you move to somewhere else?
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Hello @q.Hung

Yes, I am in the US again for the rest of this year before returning to France the beginning of next year!

For the first time in years, I am using nice competition equipment again!

I haven’t really logged my training lately but I’ll have to get back on that soon…
 
Long time, no post.

I’ve been in the gym for about five weeks now. Back to the barbell. Work has been heavy and I’ve been Uber busy (I’m not an Uber driver) but am finally feeling g somewhat settled in.

I’m thinking of doing a meet this year…as suggested by @WhatWouldHulkDo but I’ve yet to sign up for one due to my budgeting situation, ie my monthly quota of saved funds for returning to Paris in January….

I have been a busy bee.

My first five weeks of training were just re-acclimation of the power lifts, trained daily. This lead to three things.

1) A foundational technique understanding of each lift to base my training on.
2) A realization of 90-105 % of my all time best lifts (I or’ don the squat but depth needs to be a future focus.
3) Exhaustion and acute stiffness and nervous system fatigue.

I have since modified my current training. This is a log of the first week, after several days off following the high frequency mean cycle.


Session # 1
8/7/2021

Heavy Push

A) Bench Press (competition grip)
165 lbs. x 5
180 x 4
195 x 3
210 x 2
225 x 1

185 x 5 (paused)

B) Dumbbell Rows, Reverse flies, pullovers.

Notes:
-Work on pause and a controlled but fast descent. Find perfect bench bottom position.
-Accessory work aimed at back of the body on heavy press day + stretching shoulders. Pullovers are breathing and rib cage expansion exercise to aid recovery/shoulder mechanics.

Session 2
8/8
3:00 AM (before work)

A) Squat
135 x 5,
225 x 5,
275 x 5

B) Dimel DL
135 x 15, 15

Notes:
-Depth
-Need effective warmups for early morning
-Always adjust rack setting, even if in a rush!

Session 3
8/8
1:00 pm


Light Upper

A1) Chin-ups
10 x 3 sets

A2) Inc Dumbbell Press
50 lbs x 10r (after two warmup sets)

B) Band Pulls, Band Curls, Band Pressdowns

Notes:
- Accessories are the movements done optimally with resistance, terminated before form breaks down or “working myself up” is necessary to continue set.
- Blood flow and recovery.

Sessions 4 + 5
8/9
13:00

Light Lower/Med Upper

Warmup- Barefoot walking, sprinting, jumping, throwing drills

A) Bench Press
(3 second pause/Medium Grip)

165 lbs. x 5 x 3 sets

B) Close Grip Bench Press
feet up, pause above chest)

135 x 12

C) Seal Rows, stretching drills,
1 x Hindu Squat x (infinite)

Notes:
-Knee cranky, bench uses a lot of quads with these pauses.
-Mobility/Flexibility drills need to be employed on off days.
-Always stretch after sessions if possible.
 
Session 6

Heavy Pull/Light Upper

A) Deadlift off mat
70 kgs x 5
110 kgs x 3
135 kgs x 1

150 kgs x 5

B) Well Squat
2 x 24 kgs KB x 6r/3s

C) Swings (OA, Conventional stance, side to side)

BW Rows x 15/3
Elevated PU x 25/2

Notes:
-ROM/Flexibility in bottom/glutes
-feet closer, turned out so knees out of way
-more volume at lower loads, deadlift heavy (8.5 or 85%+) 1x a month.
- Variations (SGDL, Rack Pulls and light week (technique/swings/DB RDL)

Glutes, Mobility, volume at lower loads.
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August 10, 2021

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Session 7

Light Lower/Heavy Upper

A) Deadlift (natural stance)
120 kgs x 1 x 10 sets

B) Bench Press
155 lbs. x 5
170 x 4
185 x 3
200 x 2
215 x 1,1,1

195 x 5 (back off).

135 x 10,10 (paused, feet up, medium grip)

C) Squat (tempo)
225 lbs x 5 x 1 set

D) Rows, upper back, stretching.

Notes:
- Deadlift practice with “natural” stance.
-Glutes need to contribute more, knees out, hips higher/closer to bar.
-Bench feels solid

Last bench single @ 215lbs.
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August 11, 2021

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Session 7
August 8th, 2021

Heavy Lower/Upper (practice)

A)Squat to Pin
315 lbs. x 1,1,1,1,1….

315 x 5r/1s

B) Bench Press -(medium grip, 3 second pause at sticking point/bottom)
135 x 5,
155 x 5,
170 x 3

185 lbs x 2r/3s

Back off Set:
135 x 12,15 (close grip, feet up,)

C) Front Squat
225 lbs. x 2 x 3 sets

D) D-bell Rows (on incline)
35 lbs. x 15 x 3 sets

Swings, planks, bugs, Coolsown, stretches, light band work.

Notes
-“You can’t punch hard if you’re too loose. You can’t punch fast if you’re too tight.”

Anderson Squats (to sit into glutes).
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August 12, 2021

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Bench Press practice
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August 12, 2021

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Front Squats to train the bottom portion
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August 12, 2021

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Session 8
August 13,2021
13:30

Work at 4:00, light k-bell warmup

A) Bench Press (medium grip, 3 second pause, max speed)
175 lbs x 5 x 3 sets

then
135 x 20 (feet up, illegal wide grip)

B) Clean and Press
135 lbs x 1,2,3

C) V Grip Chin-ups
8r/3s

Accessories/Stretching

Notes:
-Glutes are the center of all full body strength feats including the bench and OH Press.

Yesterday was slow, today fast.
Both are benching.
Same but different.
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August 13, 2021

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