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

Thursday Training

A1) Squat (High Bar)- 105 kg x 5,5,12
A2) Dip - BW x 15, 15, 25
B1) assisted OAC x 1,1,1
B2) OA Swing - 26 kg x 20,20, 20


GTG OAP, pistols + band rows, pull aparts

It was a beautiful day in Paris today. I quite enjoy my training at this new, little park and the Parisians seem intrigued by the barbell work. The popular training around here is mostly running, calisthenics it’s gymnastics, and CrossFit like training. Very few use the bar for strength training but I notice many ask me if they can try lifting the weights with the bar. It seems to be a common belief here that lifting heavy weights will hurt you. Hopefully I can be apart of deconstructing this thought and teaching some folks. I know they’re intrigued.

Squats felt better in high bar today then they did in low bar on Sunday. The groove seemed a bit more natural like its easier to get the hips and knees working in collusion. Also, my back was a bit fresher. I want to be able to work up to 156 kg with this bar for a back squat, belt less. My calculations say I must FS 104 x8 reps, HB squat 104 x 16 reps and Zercher 125 kg for 10 reps. This willl be my goal. Dips felt easy today. I like interchanging a loaded lift with an uninvolved lighter lift like deads/handstand push-ups or squats/chins. For the heavier sets, I take longer breaks. I consciously tucked my elbows back in my dips today. I feel it’ll have better transfer to OAP training. However, the tradeoff was my triceps got sore! This rarely happens. Too much transfer that it affects GTG!

Here are some gtg sets of OAP. Feel greatly that neglected cues are really starting to help my right arm. Watched Pavel’s OAP in The Naked Warrior video and noticed a few things.
Firstly he’s built like me (long limbs, short torso) and his hand placement is a little forests of the shoulder as opposed to directly under. I’ve totes with hand position to no avail and mimicked his and it seemed to work. Alas, corkscrewing the shoulder and driving the opposite leg into the ground hard seem to even out my torso and hips a bit while also focusing on keep pressure on the outside of my lower palm. Putting all these together helps keep my elbow tucked, shoulder down and body even as opposed to my left shoulder coming and up and rotating around the pressing arm. These seem to look like my best OAP yet with my right arm! While I’m at it, I’ve decided for my left arm to try and build up to a so called perfect OAP, ie very little body rotation. I’ve thrown in band work after my GTG sets which is a set of overhead Y’s, pull aparts, face pulls then rows to keep my upper back strong. Then I stretch the anterior.

GTG OAP with cues


Trying for a “perfect” OAP left hand



Squat set

 
Day 1

A1) Plyo Pushup x 3
A2) Floor Press 104 kgs x 3, 5, 85 kg x 10
A3) Band Face Pulls x 20
B1) Chin-up x 5, 8, 12/3/3 rest pause set
B2) Goblet Squat (heels elevated) 26 kg x 10,10, 20

Hurt my back a week ago pushing deads too hard. Went for an extra rep on final set, heard the crunch and immediately dropped bar. Knew I had it in for myself. The first few days are brutal. I’ve had this same injury many times before, and it seems to heal quicker as time goes on. At first, breathing is hard and sharp pains shoot through my back and hips. I didn’t sleep well as nearly every position was uncomfortable. While I was pretty immobile the first couple of days, I knew my best path to recovery was yo begin move. So I did what I could.

Flexion became intolerant so I had to move in which ever ways I could. I did mostly core, shoulder stability work like walkouts, palloff presses, pushup plusses, single leg work, whatever didn’t hurt. I just had to move. Single limb work such as single leg RDL’s and lunges along with the ab work, reverse bridges and a bunch of band work helped me get back. By the 5th day, I felt good enough to do dips, one arm pushups, FL rows, and weighted single leg work. Today, the barbell finally felt ready to be lifted again. I added a rep to my best Floor press with this bar. I say this one as it’s shorter than normal, do my optimal grip width is narrower than I’d like. Fine with this for now. Added the explosive movement and band work between sets. I’d like to keep having a dynamic movement with the days main lift. Keeps me peppy. Also practiced OAP a bunch during the time. Still funky movements at my right shoulder but it’s sloooowly improving.

Floor Press


Some OAP singles, some with band and some attempts “naked”. Still needs work but it’s getting there. Seems there’s a different issue every rep. Sometimes it’s torso lean, sometimes it’s unloaded side rising first, sometimes it’s shoulders rising above hips and sometimes it’s the shoulder dumping forward and an awful twist. However, it’s the best my right arm has looked on its own in this exercise.







Finally, an attempt with no band

 
Wow thats terrible @Philippe Geoffrion
I'm glad you're making such a fast recovery!

Also, the OAPs look strong. It's good inspiration for me.
Thanks @Kiacek. I’m just happy my arm doesn’t cave like it used to. The back thing has happened before, always when I push my deadlifts when I shouldn’t. Don’t think any other lift has caused this issue, and I’ve found getting moving as soon as possible helps and sitting or staying static doesn’t. This is why the morning is a good indicator of how well it’s doing.
 
Day 2 (Squat Emphasis)

A1) Vertical Jump
A2) FS Lunge + Front Squat - 185 x 8L/8R/12 FS
A3) World’s Greatest Stretch
B1) HSPU x 5,5,9
B2) BW Rows x 10,10,20

Took a hint from Ben Bruno and did my single leg work followed by high rep bilateral movement for the legs. Doing so helps keep strain off my back which is feeling fine but I think it wise to stay off heavy spinal loading for the meantime. I can still hit my legs heavy this way while getting extra upper back work with the front squat rack position.

Since I did horizontal push and vertical pull yesterday, it gets swapped around today. Such is what makes my daily full body training possible. Variety.

Had to take 30 seconds between legs and about a minute before the squat set. Holding the bar for said time was quite tiring.
?
 
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Day 3 (Pull Emphasis)

A1) Power Snatch - 53 kg x 1,2,3
A2) Pull-up - 20 kg x 3,3,
4,1,1,1,1 (RP SET)
A3) Yoga pushup
B1) Elevated King DL - 52 kg x 5R,5L,5R,5L, 8R, 8L
B2) Elevated D-Pushups- 15,15,
15 (band)10 (no band)

No back issues this morning. Still gonna wait on heavy spine loaded lifts for a few days. Used snatches as DE move for the day. Warmup with high pulls, then cleans then snatches. After first power snatch, remaining reps are done from hang. I do feel these explosive moves help prime for the main lift, which was pull-ups and they felt strong. Long rest pause set, about 20 seconds between reps after first set.

King DL off block were quite brutal, although I don’t go nearly as deep as airborne lunge. They’re similar to the starting position of a sumo DL as far as depth goes. Some light pushups but more focus on slow descent and squeezing pecs. Kinda want my chest to grow a bit for better horizontal pressing. ? my shoulders seem to abduct (see what I did there) every movement from my chest so I have a bit of muscular amnesia there

Power Snatches


Weighted pull-up RP set
 
Day 4 (Press emphasis)

A1) Push press 56 kg x 3, 70 kg x 3,3
A2) Press 56 kg x 3,3 10, 5 (with 3 sec pause)
A3) Band Face pull x 20,20,20
B1) FL ROW x 4,5,6
B2) Cossack Squat x 5,5,5 (per side)

Overhead felt okay, not a PR set, but okay. Press doesn’t need to PR every month and 1 rep a month on this lift ain’t too bad. Upper back had heavy day yesterday but didn’t feel limiting. Took yo mobility drills for my legs as my glutes have taken a beating this week and we’re gonna try squats tomorrow. My back is feeling ready and I’m hungry for it. High Bar most likely.

Push press as DE but kind of looks quasi jerk-ish


Press set
 
Day 5 (Squat emphasis)

A1) Jump
A2) Squat
w 56 kg HB x 3, FS x 3, OHS x 3
w 105 kg HB x 3, FS x 2, HB x 13
A3) HF stretch
B1) Dips
BW x 5, 26 kg x 5, 26 kg x 8, 2 (RP SET)
B2) BW rows - 10,10,20

My back was feeling ready again. Beat last High bar set by one rep. I am happy for this. I think now, I will move my squat day to earlier in the week and have my lighter squat day here before pulls tomorrow. For pulls, since they’re later in the week and I’m still fresh off my back woes, I’ll find easier versions for the lumbers like one hand or one leg deadlifts or rack pulls. My deads do fine with little direct work. Squatting and lat work seem to help them just fine but I still need to do some sort of pull, it just need not be conventional AMRAP sets right now.

On another note, I must say how underrated I believe overhead squats are for reinforcing torso strength on the squat. The OH position forces you to keep upper back position and not cave. As far as a prep exercise for squats, I think they’re invaluable.

High bar AMRAP


Dips (good depth today)
 
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Day 6 (Pull)

A1) Warmup
56 kgs - Power clean x 3, Snatch x 2
Pull complex
104 kg- SGDL x 5, RDL x 5,
56 kg x SGHP X 5 RDL x 12
B1) Airborne Lunge- 5,5,10
B2) OAP - 5,5,10

Did a giant set for pulls, accentuating the erector chain with higher reps. The snatch grips serve a problem with this bar as it’s slightly bent and rolls, this gripping it is a bit of a be-otch. Straight onto Rdls, strip a plate, then high pulls, and RDLS. Not the best order of exercise, high pulls should be first but with this bar it’s a bit of a jumble. Just wanted some higher reps for the back muscles around the spine and hips and hamstrings.

Decided to do some single limb work after. My airborne lunges have felt better and the OAP are not SF standard as my elbow is flared out so it’s easier. Still, hits the chest pretty well.

Giant Pull set


These are the OAP style I speak of, elbow out. They’re actually far easier on my shoulder then tucked, just like my bench press style.
 
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Day 7 REST

Day 1 (Horizontal Press focus)

A1) plyo pushup x 3
A2) Bench Press (Medium grip/slight incline)
56 kg x 8, 74 kg x 5,5,10
CG - 56 kg x 15
A3) Band Rows x 20,20,20
B1) Pull-ups (wide grip) 5,5, 13
B2) RESS - 10,10,10 per leg

Bench was a little lackluster. It’s not the best setup and the “bench” not the most secure. There’s no rack so I start it from off my chest which is a little tricky/uncomfortable but heck the old timers did similar things, I shouldn’t complain. Encountered the problem that my elbows hit the plates on the descent and ascent because of the small bar which messed with me a bit but it was nice to get some “bench work” in. Pull-ups and light split squats to round it all out.

 
Day 2 (Squat emphasis)

A1) vertical jump x 3,3,3
A2) Zercher Squat
52 x 5, 104 x 5, 125 kg x 9
A3) World’s Greatest Stretch
B1) HSPU (ext ROM) 3,3, 5,2,1 (RP SET)
B2) BW Rows (underhand grip) 12,12,20

Good squat session, although like usual, the short bar is hard to set up with so my stance is a little narrower than normal and there’s not a lot of room for my elbows between my legs! Fine nonetheless. Did HSPU on some plates to get a little deeper. Goodness! I look like a bow! No wonder my chest was feeling it a tad! Some OAP reps back at the apartment.

Zercher Set



HSPU


OAP REPS


 
Day 4 (OH Press emphasis)

A1) BTN PP - 56 kg x 3,3,3
A2) BTN Press- 56 kg x 5,5, 14
A3) Chest Stretch
A4) Band Fave pulls-15,15,15
B1) FL Rows x 6,6,6
B2) Heels elevates GS - 10 kg x 10,10,30

Knocked out quite a few more reps on BTN Press but it’s easier because of the shorter ROM. FL rows are always hard even with knees tucked in hard, so technically their tucked front lever rows but that’s too long to write.

I really like how the BTN press feels. It’s easier to keep a straight bar path then the regular press, it opens the chest up and I feel it does more work for neglected upper back and deltoid muscles than most regular presses do.

BTN PRESS
 
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