10/8

DL (Due to short gym hours on Fridays, I'm switching DL and squat days going forward)
235x5x2
325x3x2
415x2

briefs
505x1

suit
595x1
650x1 - slower than it should have been

TBDL
540x3
630x2
680x1

I also spent a lot of time setting up the power rack and laying a couple more rolls of rubber flooring in the basement. My hips are pretty beat up.

I tried yesterday during warmup, was shirt day, so went with what I know for that part.

I couldn't really get in the first position she gets in, I didn't need too slide the feet out, I could just drop the heel to get into the second setup, so I assume there was some slack in my setup. I need to get the feet closer to the head.

Any chance you can make a remake of the video with a strong/fat/swole guy instead of a 100 lbs female? :-)

I have a bunch of raw sets today, so will work on the setup on all sets today.

He did a couple other videos, but they were both with cute girls too. Come to MN and we'll get your setup fixed. Aidan lifts in IPF and his setup is pretty solid - I helped him a little with it. He's not fat, but he's not ass flexible as the girl in the video. Maybe check out his log.

One thing you probably need to try is pulling yourself farther up so the bar is above your belly or waist, setting your feet on your toes, pulling yourself down under so that your heels cannot touch the floor, then walking each foot out. That will get your feet closer to your head. If that bothers your low back at all, before you pull yourself down, take a big breath and tighten your abs. That will keep your low back from arching too much.

10/9

bench
45x15
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1
345x1

48 super kat scoop neck
505 off two boards x 1 - smoked it
555 off chest x f
555 off chest x f
When the weight gets to about 1" off my chest, the shirt locks up and the bar goes too low. I cant even move it at that point. This shirt need to be broken in a little more. Maybe I'll try to touch something a little heavier in it next week. Those two attempts at 555 took too much out of me to continue shirted work.

2 board press
315x3
345x3
365x3

band face pulls
20x2

band tricep pushdowns
20x2

machine cable rows
240x15
260x15

I tried to work on it today, but time was short so didn't make videos. Will arrive earlier tomorrow and make some videos of setup attempts.

Also my training PR is now 242,5(535), video in my log (very very training PR, lots of technical errors)

I might at some point come visit, gf really wants to go to USA#1, but I've always shot it down because 2-3 weeks of not training would be bad for me, but if we make it a gym road trip I could see it work :-)

10/11

squat
140x5
230x5
320x3

briefs
410x2

suit, straps down
500x1

straps up
590x1

knee wraps
690xf. This was all kinds of bad. I had my belt too loose. I had my feet too wide and toes pointed out too far - that made me very unstable. The first time I picked it up out of the rack, I almost fell forward on my face. I reracked it, picked it up again and was moving side to side and front to back all the way down. When I got down, I started to get light headed because it took way too long to get down. After that, my calves hurt because of basically doing 690 lb calf raises from the weight getting out in front of my toes. I almost shut it down after this. I'm glad I didnt.

690x1 - smoked it. I tightened my belt correctly. I didnt put my feet as wide. I set my toes more forward. I was stable. The weight went down well and came up fast.

I talked to my coach prior to loading the first 690. I'm going to open the meet at 683, so I should hammer 690 and be confident with that going into the meet. Next week, when I smoke it the first time I attempt it, I will attempt something well over 700 based on how well the 690 goes.


box squats
370x3
410x3
460x3 - that was hard

What is your current raw max?

Probably 380-400. The last time I attempted a raw PR, I smoked 385 and missed 405. That was probably a year ago.

10/12

speed bench
45x15
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x3

I decided to try and break in the shirt more, so I went with my typical warmup for putting on a shirt
275x2
315x1
345x1

size 48 katana scoop
455x2x2 off two boards
It was hard to touch. My right arm felt bad, in the front of the shoulder and down through the biceps. It was so bad that I shut down the rest of the workout. It felt like a nerve issue and the biceps were all lit up. I rolled it on a barbell. I put capsaisin on the biceps and got it very warm. That loosened it up and it isnt bad now.

10/14

DL
225x5
315x3x2
405x2
500x1

suit
585x1
650x1 - slow. ugly. It was forward. Then my knees started shaking and pushed it out farther. I still locked it out, but that used up a lot of energy.

650xf. I focused on keeping my hips and knees back. I forgot to tighten my upper back. My upper back and shoulders were rolled so far forward that I couldnt get the bar past my knees.

speed work in briefs
455x3 - fast, decent
495x1 - my coach noticed my grip with my left hand was loose. I'm never going to drop a weight this light, and probably never going to drop anything under 700 like that, but it makes the bar go up unevenly, so I want to get this right. Otherwise it was a good lift.
545x1 - good form

The gym closed, so I couldnt do more.

Keeping the bar in is my one biggest DL leak. No idea why.

Its hard to do it right.

To help do it better, make sure you're pulling hard with your lats. Think about dragging the bar up your legs.

Have you tried taking some f*cking weight off the bar?

10/16

bench
45x15
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1
345x1

katana scoop
545 off 1 board x 1. I got it, but it was more difficult than it should have been because the handoff was uneven. The guy on the left side lifted it about 3" higher than the guy on the right, so when they let go, the weight was tipping back and forth. It took a lot of energy to recover.

565 off chest - failed twice. Same ****, different day. I touch a little too low and I cant move the weight off my chest. This made my arms feel spent and kind of bad, but nothing new and nothing terrible. The second set was done with the chest of the shirt wet. That didnt help. I'm getting frustrated about my inability to press off my chest in a tight shirt.

band tricep pushdowns
20x2

machine rows
200x15
260x12x2
All reps were done slow with a one-count hold at full contraction.

face pulls
135x15x2

3 man lift off. It is something I have considered, at least in training, since I feel sorry for the poor kid who has to deadlift 250, so I can attempt to bench it. Do you have some thoughts on this matter?

I think we have done 3 man liftoff exactly never at my gym.

Have you considered just having the best guy do the liftoff instead of 3 man lift off when they are out of sync?

This is one of those no quality sets WO.

Maybe try a negative on 585-605 next time, just to see if you can get the negative part with perfect form with enough weight?

And here is something counter intuitive, but that has been important to me. Have you tried to touch like 500 in the shirt. I mean something that is light enough that you can press it from about any position, but still a decent weight. Might take upwards 10 seconds to make it touch, but I feel I learn a lot from this sort of thing.

Be careful though, it takes a lot of toll on you. For me doing 3x1 at my opener is harder than opener +10kg +15, because the touch is so hard on the opener weight.

I've touched weights I should be able to touch by letting the bar fall a little backwards in my wrist on the last bit, it is far from a great pressing position, but the goal is to get the bar down and up. I obviously tuck elbows a lot, but that is basic stuff.

After my wall of text, I realized I forgot to ask, do you feel the issue is with touching(form on eccentric part of the lift) or with pressing?

3 man liftoff: We do it frequently. We have to do it when my coach and some of the other guys put on a bench shirt because they're doing >700 and there is no way one guy can lift that off and have the lifter stay in proper position. Sometimes the middle guy will do a one man liftoff for me, but usually, when the weight gets > 500 lbs, well 3-man it. I'd say 90% of the time we get smooth 3 man liftoffs. Sometimes a newer guy will have to learn, like after this guy pulled my lift too high, we schooled him. He'll probably never do that again.

My coach is an advocate of overload training, and it is something we do sometimes. This close to the meet, he wants me to focus on trying to touch a weight I can press.

There is pretty much zero chance I could touch 500 or so in a good enough spot to press it in this shirt. I had a terrible time getting 455 to a two board (3") last week. I had to stop my workout because my arms and right shoulder were messed up.

My coach and other more experienced guys than me say I need to keep trying to pull the bar in a good spot and push my belly up at the same time. I kind of did that with the first 565 attempt the other day, my coach said I did it well, but I think it touched an inch or two too low and the shirt locked up on me.

The issue seems to be getting it down in a good spot. I can hit a good spot on a 1 board, but I cant when I touch. Every time I have touched, its been too low and I feel like I have no power to push off my chest. I'm usually fast off my chest with everything.

Can't remember if I asked, but thickness of your boards?

1.5" per board.

10/18

I got to the gym a little late and thought my hips were feeling ok, so rather than doing my voodoo band hip mobility, I started squat warmups right after rolling. Bad idea.

squat
140x5
My hips moved like a rusty gate, so I did my hip mobility stuff. That was a good idea.
230x5
320x3

briefs
410x2

suit, straps down
510x1

straps up
600x1

knee wraps
690x1 - smoked it with great depth. One of my side spotters said my bar path was the best he ever saw me do - straight up and down.

750x1 - 30 lb PR - This was the most weight I've ever held on my back, let alone squatted. I need this if I'm going to qualify for the Arnold. Now I know I can do it. WOOT!



speed squats in briefs
460x3 - too slow
375x3 - good speed, but I got a little forward with the last one, so it slowed me down a bit. I think it was 4.28 seconds.
385x3 - great speed. I think it was 3.7 seconds. My left knee felt tight (just adhesions) and it was getting late, and its getting close to the meet, so I shut it down. If I had more time and I wasnt getting stiff, I would have added weight for the next set.

That lift is pretty sick.

Thanks!

There are three guys in that video who can squat more than me. Try to pick them out.

Very nice PR, very strong! Great atmosphere!

Bald guy with bonkers arms calling depth, kid with glasses to our left, dunno about the third.