all posts post new thread

Jared's Swing This, Lift That Log!!

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Strong solid work with a nice combination of lifts.
is great. Thinking about it, it is a staple of mine. I do it definitely on my first rep of the zercher and on steinborns. I like to have a controlled negative, staying for good second or two at the bottom with good amount of tension then tensing some more and comming up again. When this does not build strength, then it grows hair on the chest, I suppose.
 
Strong solid work with a nice combination of lifts.
is great. Thinking about it, it is a staple of mine. I do it definitely on my first rep of the zercher and on steinborns. I like to have a controlled negative, staying for good second or two at the bottom with good amount of tension then tensing some more and comming up again. When this does not build strength, then it grows hair on the chest, I suppose.

Thanks Harold!!

Like you, I am a big fan of paused work for squats. It's definitely a good way to work on staying tight throughout the entire lift and for me it also teaches me to find the ideal positions for my body. Also I feel like paused front squats give my knees a break (a good break haha) since I get a good stretch reflex when I get well below parallel. It's also a sneaky way to sneak in some weighted mobility which I also know you are a big fan of as well!

I've definitely gotten some solid chest hair GAINZ the past year since adding consistent paused work into my routine!
 
Random thoughts since it's been a super slow training week. Did manage 2 really solid barbell sessions but looking like I won't get any deadlifting done this week which for me isn't the worst thing in the world. Hopefully I can squeeze a KB Snatch session in today and KB Clean & Jerks tomorrow. Anyway, here are some thoughts I have moving forward with Barbells and Kettlebells.

Looking back at my training spreadsheet from last year to now I feel pretty good about where my barbell strength and technique are at the moment. Having to take a lot of time off training so far this year had me feeling like I was way behind the eight ball but looking at the big picture I'm on a pretty decent track to possibly hit some big numbers in a few months. Looking at some numbers and the way certain weights are moving right now I feel like I can definitely add some pounds to my Front Squat and Oh Press with time and patience. My shoulders feel a lot better since making Close Grip Bench Press my primary bench variation.

In a month from now is when I will be able to move to a 4 day a week setup and will look to increase my barbell lifts and add more assistance work to help push these numbers. Right now I'm looking to hit bigger numbers in the Front Squat, Oh Press, Deadlift and Close Grip Bench Press. Some goals are to move the Front Squat from 325 to 350+, Oh Press from 225 to 235/240, Deadlift from 550 to 585-600 and CG Bench will pretty much be PR as I go past 230. I've used 230 for 3x5 last year as supplemental work for Oh Press and Bench. Usually when I've achieved my Front Squat goal, I will take that and move over to Back Squats and look to drive that number up but where I want to take the Back Squat is up in the air. Sitting at 400 right now but we will see how far Front Squats take me for the time being. Can't look to achieve everything at once!

The Deadlift is a lift I have been on the fence about since hitting 550 last year. 550 was just a number that was in my head since the first time I ever pulled 500 a while back and it was sort of bitter sweet when I achieved that goal. I certainly believe I have the potential to pull 600 but the discipline to do so is a different ball game. I feel like when I first started deadlifting back in late 2012 I certainly had the motivation to want to pull big weights since it's the movement where you get the opportunity to load some plates on the bar. After a few years and getting to some decent numbers I've noticed motivation needs to turn into discipline when it comes a lot of things. Motivation deteriorates and that's where discipline kicks in to do the things you need to do.

I have a made a lot of significant gains with kettlebells this year. Achieving "Simple" with my 80 was awesome, Pressing and Snatching The Beast as well as performing Clean & Jerk Ladders with that bell has been huge for me. Also being able to hit some high total rep numbers with Snatches and C&J's with my smaller bells have been great as well. I will probably keep going with heavier Snatches and C&Js but I will most likely have to put the goal of hitting "Sinister" on the backburner for a while. Not saying I could hit this anytime soon but since tweaking my right wrist it's been a bit uncomfortable doing TGUs and certainly don't want to go heavy yet. My 55 is about the perfect weight to where the discomfort is manageable. Achieving the Secret Service Snatch Test with the 55 could be something on the horizon!

No time table for the goals I have mentioned but I feel like some good things are on the horizon when it comes to lifting. I'm pretty excited moving forward knowing there is no time-table I'm putting on myself to achieve the numbers I have set for myself. Last year and the early part of this year it was a mad dash to hit some numbers before my second son was born so now I can actually practice patience and not be in such a hurry!

If you made it this far.... Thank you!
 
7/21/17

S&S Warm Up + Hip Flexor Stretch

1 Arm KB C&J: 106 - 5 x (1,2,3) each (PR)
2 Hand KB Swing: 106 - 5x10
Ab Wheel: 3x10

Notes: Happy to get through 5 Ladders of 1,2,3 reps with each arm today. Previous best was 4 Ladders with The Beast so was happy to get to the 5 Ladder mark. Swings and Ab Wheel to finish. Very good day!!
 
You have done great numbers before and your new goals are even greater. No doubt you will hit them as you're so consistent with your training. And with your consistency I don't think you need a time table, you go in and do solid work and the magic happens when it does.
 
You have done great numbers before and your new goals are even greater. No doubt you will hit them as you're so consistent with your training. And with your consistency I don't think you need a time table, you go in and do solid work and the magic happens when it does.

Thanks man, I appreciate the kind words!!
 
7/22/17

S&S Warm Up

KB Snatch: 80 - 5 x (2,3,5) each

5 Rounds of the following:
10 x 2 Hand Swings with 106
10 x Split Squat (L)
10 x Split Squat (R)
30 secs Plank

Notes: Pleased with Snatches with the 80 for the day. Bell was a bit slippery and a few times I was worried it would slip out of my hand a few times. Thankfully that didn't happen. Fun little circuit at the end to work my way to the floor. The lunges and planks provided some good stretching for my legs and hips to finish the day. Solid day!!
 
7/24/17

S&S Warm Up + Hip Flexor Stretches

1) Front Squat: 285 - 5x1
2A) Close Grip Bench Press: 225 - 3 x (1,2,3)
2B) Pull Ups - BW x 5 (50 total on the day)

Notes: Front Squats were moving very well. I debated on working to 320 for some singles but decided to keep this day pretty easy and just get my 5 singles with 285 and move on. Went with 3 Ladders of 1,2,3 on Close Grip Bench Press. These moved well and adding the 5 rep Pull Ups between the reps really help get my volume for the day. A solid "Punch the Clock" type of day which I'm always thankful for.
 
7/26/17

S&S Warm Up

Oh Press: 190 - 5x1
KB Snatch: 70 - 5x10 each

Notes: Drove to the YMCA for my session today during lunch break which is about 10 minutes away from work as opposed to 5 minutes for Golds Gym. Oh Presses were flying! It took some discipline on my part to not push this harder since the weight was feeling like a feather. I couldn't super-set pull ups during presses since the only pull up bars are attached to cable stations and power racks which were both taken. This also meant no Front Squats.

I did find the Crossfit area and found their Kettlebells. Luckily they have several pairs of Rogue 70's / 32kg bells. Did some Snatches for the first time with a 70 pound bell that moved very well. Grip was getting slippery since the area's only way of air conditioning is a fan so I borrowed a bit of chalk for the 5th set. I've never used chalk on anything before and not having to think about the bell slipping out of my hand due to chalk is AWESOME!! Having chalk on my hands I felt like I could have snatched this bell for days!!

A big write up for a "Punch the Clock" session!!
 
7/27/17

Simply Sinister (Clean & Press Variation)

S&S Warm Up

5 Rounds w/ 55 pound KB (in office)
Started with Left
10 x 1 Hand Swings
1 x Clean & Press
1 x TGU
Switch hands and repeat

Notes: Quick Simply Sinister session in my office before leaving work. I sat the bell down long enough after I finished with my right arm to put an "X" on my notepad and keep going. Minimal rest but definitely a lot easier than going unbroken the whole time. TGUs were a bit rusty given I haven't done them in a few weeks due to my wrist issue but little to no pain during the session. Still only took about 15 minutes, including the warm up. Good practice!
 
7/28/17

S&S Warm Up

Deadlift: 465 - 5x1
Front Squat: 225 - 8x3
Leg Raise: 2x15

Notes: Wasn't overly thrilled with Deadlifts today. Weight felt heavy and wasn't moving with the speed I was expecting. This tells me I need more practice and not deadlift once every two or three weeks!! Mostly setup! Front Squats moved well and added extra sets for the day. Good session but will need some work on the deadlift moving forward and get my setup down..... again!!
 
7/29/17

S&S Warm Up

80lb Weight Vest Walk: 2 miles (37:11)

Notes: Active recovery since my hands, quads, hamstrings and glutes were pretty sore from this weeks lifting. I walk a 2 mile route in my neighborhood that has some very steep hills as well as some stretches that are pretty flat. I only go for distance and not time. The only reason I time these is to make sure I get at least 30 minutes of walking done. Luckily it was only 80 degrees outside this morning so I beat the heat!
 
7/31/17

S&S Warm Up

Front Squat: 235 - 10x3
Decline Sit Ups: 3x15
Back Extensions: 3x15

Notes: Triples on Front Squats felt very fast and crisp. Almost like speed work. Going to try doing 3's, 2's, and 1's but adding extra sets for the next 3 weeks and see how this feels. Today normally being 5x5 (25 reps) I did triples and once I got to the 8th set the reps were still flying so I figured I would go ahead and do 10 sets. Benches were taken, so no CG Bench so I settled for some "trunk" work. Solid session!
 
8/2/17

S&S Warm Up (1 Round only needed today)

Oh Press: 155 - 5x5
Deadlift: 315x5, 365x5, 405x11 (PR)
TGU: 50 - 5x1 (each)

Notes: Not much to speak of about Oh Press other than I got through them pretty fast. For the Deadlift I decided I would go with the old fashion 5/3/1 setup, hit some rep PR's and have a little fun with the Deadlift again. Previous PR with 405 was 10 so was happy to get 11 really solid reps. I had a few more in the tank but I got a bit of a quad'ish, hamstring'ish cramp in my right leg that made the bar drift out in front of me a bit. Decided on some light TGUs to stretch my body out a bit and act as a cool down for the day. Solid session!

Also noted that I've had the bar too close to my body during my setup the past couple of weeks. Apparently I forgot exactly where mid-foot is! Who would have thought it was in the middle of your foot?!?!
 
8/3/17

S&S Warm Up

1A) Close Grip Bench Press: 225 - 5 x (1,2,3)
1B) Machine Row x 5 (not sure exactly what the weight here is but I had 2-45's on each side)

Notes: Haven't quite made up my mind exactly how I want to program Close Grip Bench at this point but Ladders are pretty fun for the time being. May work up to a 1-3 rep max in the next 2 weeks and go from there. Did some Hammer Strength Iso Machine Rows between sets for a change and plus it was right in front of the bench. Planned on some Front Squats after this but I decided to call it there for the day. Not a ton of work for the day but would say it was productive!
 
great log Jared. Strong serenity. You hold yourself back here and there almost in the same manner you have your PR's, you are not upset when the bench was taken, do sometimes not a ton but productive work, tinkering and thinking about your "planning". Always enjoyable and full of content at the same tim
 
great log Jared. Strong serenity. You hold yourself back here and there almost in the same manner you have your PR's, you are not upset when the bench was taken, do sometimes not a ton but productive work, tinkering and thinking about your "planning". Always enjoyable and full of content at the same tim

Thanks Harald, I always appreciate your kind words and encouragement!!

I try to look at everything I get to do as a blessing. Being able to go to a gym to lift barbells or sling kettlebells around my house to improve my body and "health" is a privilege I know personally I used to take for granted. Some people that are too sick or are missing limbs from being in combat I'm sure would love to be able to speak of sore legs or shoulders from a good lifting session. All of this stems from the fact I'm a devout Christian and realize that while it is important to keep my body strong and healthy, it's more about being an example to others and following the teachings of Christ and what it takes to become more like Him the best I can.

As far as knowing when to go all out or pull back I sort of learned this lesson last year. "Working out" is living for the day but "Training" is thinking with a long term approach. I can't remember exactly who said that but I'm sure it was either Jim Wendler, Dan John or Pavel.

I do better on a plan because I will tend to "sandbag" if I'm left to do whatever I "feel" would be heavy or light.
 
8/5/17

S&S Warm Up

1 Arm KB C&J: 55 - 5x10 (each)
2 Hand KB Swings: 106 - 10x10
TGU: 55 - 5x1 (each)

Notes: Good session all around. Kept rest periods short and didn't want to focus on weight this session. Encouraged by my TGUs at the end. Yes it was light but wrist did not bother me at all. Hoping to get back to 80 pounds for TGUs in the next week or two. This wrist discomfort has lingered a lot longer than anticipated. Solid session!
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom