1/29

bench press
45x15
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1

size 54 Rage X two ply
455 off 1 board x 1 - fast

495 off chest x 1 - right side took a while to lock out, but I got it. Right glute bothered me.

525 off 1 board - f. right glute was angry at me. Enough pressing for today.

chaos pushups
10x5

1 arm cable rows
105x15
120x12
135x10
150x10

face pulls
135x15
150x15

tricep pushdowns
idk, something like 120 x 25

Nice DLs

Lol at shirt.

What's up with the glute?

Thanks

Glute acted up last Sunday when I attempted 525. It was pretty sore when my chiropractor worked on it Tuesday. He didnt seem too concerned about it - said it was a muscular issue. It didnt bother me much squatting or DLing this week. When the weight started getting heavy benching yesterday is when it came back. I rolled it after pressing 495 and that loosened it up, but it came right back when I attempted 525.

1/31

squat
140x5
230x5
320x3

briefs
410x2
500x1

Metal Ace Pro suit
590x1

knee wraps
710x1 - smoked it
770xf. I started getting light headed before I hit depth, so I started coming up before I got all the way down. I needed assistance to finish it because of the light-headedness.

speed squats in briefs
460x3
510x3
521x3x2 - Most everything was pretty fast to this point.
560x3 - That's the most I have tripled. It was hard to move it very fast.

I need to make sure I rack the bar well when I squat. When I get about 500+ on my back, it feels a lot different & better & lighter if I have everything locked down correctly.

GHRs
20
Left knee was a little angry from my quads leaning against the pad, so I stopped.

Right glute was a little sore when I rolled and did mobility stuff, but it did not bother me at all squatting. I think the reason it bothers me benching and not squatting is because my hip is fully locked out and the glute is fully contracted when I bench heavy. It gets stretched when I squat.

Cha - If I start doing direct ab training, what exercises should I select? Currently I've added dead bugs, side planks, and hard style planks to my DLing sessions but nothing much besides that.

Those are all good. How you do ab work is as important as the exercises you choose. Do those with strict form and give everything you've got every set.

I might add jacknifes on a ball or against bands if a ball is too easy.

Bird dogs are great too.

Also focus on core stiffness on all your lifts.

Palloff presses and twists. Standing cable crunches.

thanks!

Palloff presses are fine. Twists are dangerous for your discs. Cable crunches, meh, anything that involves any spinal flexion or twisting, I dont condone it.

One that I just remembered is stir the pot. If you're good at that from your knees, move to your feet.

Ab wheel rollouts are a good tough one.

Blast strap (or TRX strap) fallouts are a very good, hard exercise.

The T-Spine is meant to rotate. I'm not saying load it up heavy. If you have to lean notably or stand sumo to stay upright its too heavy.

Would not twist under load at all...


Cha can you explain this please?
"I need to make sure I rack the bar well when I squat. When I get about 500+ on my back, it feels a lot different & better & lighter if I have everything locked down correctly."

Its ok to rotate the t spine if you're 100% certain you dont rotate the lumbar spine at all. Most people will screw that up. On the other hand, I do not think it is good or ever necessary to load the t spine when you're twisting it. Its good to twist it unloaded.

Sometime I rack the weight poorly. Sometimes I rack it well. idk exactly how to explain what I'm doing wrong. I know it when I get it right though. I pull my shoulder blades down and keep my shoulders back as far as I can. I think its not that different from using your lats to set up on the bench correctly. When I get this right, heavy weight feels way less heavy to hold.

OK totally understand and agree. Huge difference between the two.

2/10

DL - 1st time lifting after being sick
235x5x2 - 1st set I got very winded.
325x3
415x2
Everything after the 1st set was good

suit
505x1 - fast, very good form. I was feeling like going very heavy after this.
555x1 - slower, probably because I was slightly forward. It took a lot out of me. I was going to do another, but waited too long and got a little stiff. I decided I didnt need to push anything after having been sick for a while.

I'm still coughing up stuff, so I have basically no endurance and I breath super heavy after doing anything. It is getting better every day though, and I feel pretty good after having done this yesterday. I'll keep easing back into it now.

2/12

Bench press
45x15
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1

size 54 Rage X two ply
455 x 2 off 2 boards - very fast, as it should be
505 x 1 off 2 boards - not hard, but not as fast as 455. I was winded after this, so I stopped shirted work.

3 board press
315x3x2
These moved very fast, as they should, but my right hip started to tighten up again, so I stopped after two sets.

standing 1 arm cable rows
120x15
135x12
150x10

face pulls
135x15
150x15

I felt better than on Friday, but I'm definitely not 100% yet.

2/14

squat
140x5
230x5
320x3

briefs
410x2
500x1

poly suit
601x1

knee wraps
711x1
This was a grind. I started to get light headed coming out of the hole. It came up slow, but I got it locked out. Pretty funny - a new gym member was watching this lift. He got in front of the monolift and was yelling encouragement as I was coming up, then gave me a fist bump after I racked it as I was recovering, hanging onto the bar trying not to fall down, lol. I was obviously not in shape for anything heavier, so I went to secondary.

chain squats in briefs - 1 - 2 links touching in rack
410 + 45 lbs chains x 3
410 + 90 lbs chains x 3
410 + 135 lbs chains x 3
Everything was fine until the last set. After that, it was like I hit a wall. I wasnt coughing up stuff anymore, which is a huge improvement from a couple days ago, but my body said that's enough for today, so I stopped.

2/15

blast strap pushups
12, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15

blast strap rows
12, 12, 12

banded jacknifes
12/ ran out of gas....bleh.

2/17

DL
235x5x2
325x3
415x2

suit with looser briefs
505x1
575x1
595x1
All were pretty fast. I turned my feet out a little more than usual. It felt different, but looked fine on video.

TBDL
450x5
540x5
590x5
630x3
Getting my wind back. Not all the way there, but getting close.

Glad you're getting your wind back. Seems like it takes forever especially when you are trying to work in max territory.

Thanks! Nothing really felt like a max, but the last two trap bar sets winded me for a while.

2/19

bench press
55x15
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1

shirt, two board press
455x2 - fast
495x1 - fast, solid
545xf - I pressed it straight up instead of arcing it towards my head. It came right back down.

1 arm cable rows
105x15
120x12
135x10
150x10

face pulls
135x15x2

1/21

squat
140x5
230x5
320x3

size 38 briefs
410x2
500x1

suit
601x1

knee wraps
711x1 - pretty good
770xf - I made my belt a little tighter and that made me feel like I was exploding as I got near the hole. I lost my air and that was it.

speed squats in size 40 briefs
460x3
500x3x3
The last set was the best because I was tightest.

Hey cha, couple of things. If you were to do a set of deadlifts of more than three reps, would you reset (i.e., take in your air) at the bottom, top, or touch-and-go the reps? The answer to that question is probably a preference thing, but I am curious what you do. Also, if you have time, I would appreciate if you could check out my squat and deadlift vids and provide a fellow old any insight.

Personally, I hate 5 rep sets of anything more than 50%. If I do sets of 5, I try to either do the set on one breath or stop at the top and take a breath. That's not the only way to do it, but its the safest way to keep your low back set in good position if you do it right imo.

I'm going to go work out right now. If I dont reply in your log within a day or so, bug me again.