Did everything backwards since squat racks were taken up.

Chin-ups
7,6,6 @bw

bleh

bench
WU
2x5x192.5
1x4fx192.5

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7_SbztQ-QI
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzBLT7q0YA4
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raxEzcrBu8o

I think I haven't eaten enough recentlly. Chest felt a little sore going into these. Frustrating to miss the last rep again. Am contemplating an upper body reset to try and allow some recovery. We shall see.

FS
WU
3x5x175

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I48sEGLZCz8
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WslVL1loY14
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaF_5yw1FQY

Did it with the 2.5 lb plates under my heels. I like how that feels for the squat but not how it complicates the walkout. Felt pretty good. Had come in Friday to do mobility work for clean grip. Felt good friday but felt very tight today, I think as a result of benching first. So went with cross grip

I like benching / ohping before squatting / deadlifting. It seems like those lifts are less likely to detract from the other lift than the opposite.

That said, I have always immediately regretted doing chins or rows before squats. Especially before front squats.

Yes in doing some research I think it was the upper back being tight from chins that lead to not being able to get into that position.

Anyway,

01/09

Had a 7pm appointment so I had to split this into two sessions. One for squat and one for OHP/DL

Squat
WU
3x5x265

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCNZpn6gtZU
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbjhX-QFExw

Felt pretty easy. Will want to film from the side next time to check depth.

OHP
WU
1x4x117.5
2x5x105

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBgGL70LFjs

Am considering resetting OHP to deal with stalling I've been having.

DL
1x4fx345

WS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_jmOQKj03c

Frustrated to fail this a second time. While my lower back feels fine I think I am going to do a small reset to both improve form and help get through this sticking place.

Pursuant to that I'd like to deadlift every third workout instead of every fourth. I think getting more practice will help, plus it'll allow me to align it with front squat day which is comparatively lighter on the overlapping muscles. If I have difficulty recovering I'll deal with that as it happens. Current plan:

Thursday:
Back Squat
Bench/Press
Chins

Saturday:
Front Squat
Press/Bench
Deadlift

Monday:
Back Squat
Bench/Press
Rows (hopefully eventually replaced with PC's once my flexibility/elbow health improves)

I think this seems sensible

there's something going on with your DL where you get tight and then your hips rise up 5+ cm before you start pulling

This video may be instructive:



Plus poor glute and lat involvement, and he's not great at getting his lumbar set and tight before the lift. As someone that has hurt themselves pulling with little form issues that exacerbate themselves at higher weight, I still think he should reset (a lot), but that seems like it's not in the cards so w/e.

I watched that video, big takeaway was to push the ground away with my feet (i think Alan Thrall emphasizes this as well) which I used to do but forgot about. Thanks.

01/12

Squat
WU
3x5x270

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICJqD_XElZE
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZA9ZhER-Tc
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AysC7TdGGxU

Filmed depth on my last two sets. It looks correct to me. I wouldn't mind being 1/4-1/2 an inch lower just to err on the side of being too low, but this is better than I thought it would be.

Bench:
WU
3x5x192.5*

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw1p1rgRAnI&t=1s
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIeswduRvss&t=3s
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Gr1smWZTc&t=1s

Spotter touched it as I was locking out. I'm gonna call it good since I without a doubt had it.

Chin-Up:
7,5,5@bw

Not feeling the chins today

01/14

Front Squats:
WU
3x5x180

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyKoYkhvPRs
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u8GJEQJIjI
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZHX3FgYYkI

I need to buy lifting straps. I had hoped this would be the day I'd be able to clean grip (did mobility work yesterday and Tuesday) but it was not the case. Not the best angle I realize.

OHP
WU
2x5x95

Deloading this since I've been stalled. Plan to do 105 next time the maybe 112.5 then back to 117.5

DL
WU
1x5x275

WS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_6irB8lHSI

I think this went well. Deloaded paritally for form and partially because I DLed two workouts ago. I've got a little bump at the bottom of my back that I can't tell if it is lower back rounding or just my tailbone.

1/16

Squat
WU
3x5x275

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-gtJpC73Lc
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaTly1ZnaF4
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwh1FIFYWXY

Mini milestone here. Felt good. Bro in squat rack next to me complimented me which was cool.

Bench
WU
2x5x195
1x4fx195

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgFY3xBNazU
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H83q6Xlutmw
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgxQUaXFrKc

Didn't expect to get all five on the first set let alone the first two. Would have been cool to get the third set but so it goes.

Rows:

3x5x175

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJEChPF6_c8

I'm getting pretty tired by the end of these workouts. Didn't help that I had to work out later than usual and that I had to take a call at one point, but still I think my back work has suffered somewhat since it's always done last.

1/19

Squat
WU
3x5x280

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDsxnNua_1U
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-7ib3yqwMA
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtqdKxHjnpI

These went pretty good. Starting to feel pretty heavy and my brain keeps telling me that this is going to be the session that I miss a rep, but that wasn't the case today.

OHP
2x5x105

Chin-Ups:
3x5 @bw

Aimed a little lower this time to try and get sets across. Will try for 6 next time

Sweet progress. Should be good for a single with three plates about now.

Squats look good man. Looks like your driving your hips and keeping your knees out well. Try to keep your chest up though. Your chest is dropping 4th and 5th reps of the third set, and you kinda good morning it. It happens on those last reps tho, just try to remember to stay tight and keep your chest from dropping.

Thanks dudes. The GM squat is definitely something my body likes to do when the reps get hard and is something I try to work on.

1/21

Felt really out of sorts today. I bought straps and wrist wraps and took them with me to the gym today. I was hoping that using straps for the front squat would alleviate my issues there. Unfortunately it did not. On my warm-ups I was still struggling to keep elbows up when doing these and dropped my fifth rep at 135 and then my second at 165. Switched back to cross grip for work sets.

FS
WU
3x5x185

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Sa-3pSoV0
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqtCf8Zpii8
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8dygbbBf6Q

I think I may have ankle issues preventing me from pushing my knees far enough forward. And that in turn makes me lean forward to stay balanced. I realize this is a crappy angle and not conducive to figuring that out. Will try to work on all mobility and revisit next time.

Bench
WU
1x4x195

Decided to call it quits and try again tomorrow.

1/22

Bench
WU
1x5x195
1x4fx195
1x5x185

WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OodctyfG0pM

DL
WU
1x5x315

WS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQJf9Hv-Ncc

Will probs reset bench. DL felt easy.

1/24

Squat
WU
3x285

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe4cQ7Dh4iU
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSzPGIfBzVQ
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhrIh-5_Djo

These went good. I was worried about depth but that turned out to be fine. A little more GM action then I'd prefer but not terrible

OHP
WU
2x5x112.5

Last of the resets, felt easy. Will try to get 3 sets at 117.5 next time

Chin-Ups
6,5,4 @ bw

Forgot I was supposed to do rows today and did chins instead

1/27

Squat
WU
2x5x290
1x3fx290

Well it was a good run 220lbs-285lbs. Will redo this on my next backsquat day.

Bench
2x5x155
First reset workout

Rows
3x5x175

Didn't mean to redo previous weight, just forgot.

1/29

Felt really off today. My wrist has been bothering me a ton. almost more than it did when I first hurt it, and I've also just been generally low energy.

Press
WU
1x4x117.5
1x3x117.5
1x5x97.5

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHXsL651jjU
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNdpcLEUUTM
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5v_-x-_4fE

Really frustrating. Was hoping to get at least two jumps on the first try post-reset. Not sure if I detrained or just a symptom of how weak I felt today.

DL:
WU
1x5x335

WS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdTK6TUY1yk

This went alright. I have some issues setting the weight down correctly.

works been brutal as of late. Worked 9-9 M-W and haven't had time to lift.

2/2
Phone was at 10% battery when I started. Only filmed one workset

Squat
WU
3x5x290

WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sGp-Z78m_Q

Felt good. Onwards and upwards

Bench
2x5x185

Trying to increase the weight on this rest faster at first and then a little slower at the end, relative to what I did for OHP. Plant to do 2x5x190 next followed by a hopeful PR at 3x5x195

Chin-ups
6,5,5@bw

2/4

Front Squat
WU
2x5x195
1x4fx195

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugNhCQHYPIU
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvVcxgALK8&t=8s
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N11ueGJ_4qY

More of a grip failure then a leg one.

Press
WU
1x5x115
1x4fx115
1x4fx105
1x5x95

WS1: Forgot to film
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e32Hbb0-7R8
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sha74nC9ehE

Don't know what's going on with my press. Couldn't find the 1.25 lb plates so decided to do 115 for sets across which seemed preudent given my struggles last time. Did an extra set at the end to try and get more work in.

DL
WU
1x5x245

WS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y0VHquHXZQ

Felt light. Feels like when I do the eccentric I often end up with the bar too close to my shins.

2/6
Couldn't get to the gym until very late today. Cut it short by just doing rows and bench

Rows
WU
3x5x185

Going to try and do power cleans next time if my wrist permits

Bench
WU
2x5x190

Felt heavier than I'd have liked it to. Chalk it up to poor sleep Sunday

2/7

Squat
3x5x295

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3rOnSVDlOI
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vV77DKm4tU
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwCBafS_XqA

These were pretty hard. Plan to try and do 300lbs on Thursday, hope that goes well

Man I don't have anything bad to say about that squat, nice work! Your hips are shooting back, but I am not a tall guy so I don't really know what kind of mechanical considerations are at work there.

Your front squat still needs work. Try getting your elbows higher. It'll feel like you're choking yourself out.

Also, on deloads, you might want to think about AMRAPing your last sets. This way you are gaining some volume and not doing the exact same thing that led to a stall in the first place.

Thanks yeah. I think my hips could should ideally be going back a little less, but I'm so close to 315 that I can't bring myself to deload and fix it right now. Front squats are definitely a work in progress, I think some of it is lower body related. I think my butt ends up too far back and so my upper body has to pitch forward a bit to keep the bar over midfoot.

If I could do my deload over again that's what I'd do. The reason I didn't is I thought I was stalling due to 'accumulated fatigue' and I thought doing more reps would defeat the purpose of deloading since it would add fatigue. I'm contemplating switching my bench/press over to TM since I don't think i can LP them much longer unless I start eating alot more. I think I've got around 3-4 weeks, maybe more of squat and DL LP left.

Yeah with the front squats you need to sit down not back. I'd play around with widening your stance, as that should make staying upright a bit easier

I will try that. For some reason I always thought front squats were done with narrow stance but I think that's from watching body builders do them for quad hypertrophy.

2/09

Squats
WU
3x5x300

WS1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB6bDVI_UMQ
WS2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDTQBZl4kco
WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIBB6t0lx30

Did not die. Second set looked like they might be a little high although I wasn't sure if ti was maybe angle. Filmed from the side and they look fine.

Press:
3x5x115

Think I just need to psyche myself up and focus on getting good hip bounce and elbows tucked on early reps. This wasn't so bad.

WS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUFvBqS-8YQ

Chin-Ups: 6,6,5

Really impressive how you got strong so fast

I saw this recent video by Alan Thrall and it may help you with your squatmorning issues. Real good info.

Lol, make that three people



Thanks