8/31/17

Weighted neutral grip pull-ups: BW+20: 5,5,6
OHP: 122.5 x 5,5,4
BB rows: 145x8x4
Bench press (2 sec descent, 2 sec pause, up AFAP): 137.5 x 5 x 3

Both bench press and OHP decreased since last time I had to reset. I think I will try 122.5 next week. First set was a breeze.

Grip was fried by my last set of bench press. Almost failed on the last rep at the bottom. Crazay.

9/1/17

AM with PT
Trap bar deadlift: 245x13
EMOM for 10 minutes: 10 KB swings @ 28 kg

PM
Squats: 195 x 5,5,8
Ab wheel: 8,8,8

I may have to consider getting a trap bar. Feels much more comfortable than conventional.

Went back to squatting in chucks. Unbelievably easier to keep the weight back.

9/4/17

BB rows: 172.5 x 5,5,6
Bench press: 155 x 5,5,8
Neutral grip pull-ups: 8,7,7
Dips: 8,8,6
Band face pulls and obliques

Like a goofball, I did yard work before lifting. That's my scapegoat for the slightly subpar lifting today. I need to do a better job of holding the weight with my chest instead of shoulders in-between reps for bench. That may cause my shoulders to not stay retracted throughout the set.

9/5/17

Squat: 200 x 5,5,7
RDL: 155x8x4
Ab wheel: 8,8,6

Stand up paddleboard 1.5 hours

Another low energy day. Breathing in smoke from the nearby wildfires likely did not help.

9/7/17

Weighted neutral grip pull-ups: BW+22.5 x 5,5,4
OHP: 122.5 x 5,5,4
BB rows: 145x8x4
Bench press: 155 x 5,5,8

The inside of both of my elbows feels beaten up. Apparently it is called golfer's elbow? I rowed underhanded the last two sets. Felt much better. I will switch to that for the time being.

To change it up, I did GSLP for bench on a second day. It was at the same weight as the first day. Not bad getting eight both days.

Adding bench volume is a natural progression from GSLP once progress slows down, IMO.

I'm doing a bastardized version of GSLP at the moment, which may be affecting my bench press (and OHP too). What kind of volume would you suggest? I'm open to anything.

9/8/17

AM with PT

Trap bar DL: 265x5, 265x13
10 32 kg KBS EMOM for 10 minutes

PM

Squat: 205 x 5,5,7
Ab rollout: 8,8,8

My lower lumbar went out on my last squat rep. It did not feel too bad at the time, but I am feeling it now. It felt like my lower back buckled. My form felt off the last set. I could feel I was not reaching back enough with my hips. It likely happened because I have too many cues going through my head. Fingers crossed my back will feel better by the end of the weekend.

I don't think 1.5x a week benching is enough, especially given that you've been struggling with the movement and it's relatively weak compared to your OHP.

I had significantly better results on bench by upping it to 2x a week and decreasing OHP to once per week, but keep in mind that reduced my press from making barely any gains to making pretty much no gains at all, so the tradeoff is there.

Basically, bench more often for more total sets per week if you want to increase your bench. Pretty simple. Find somewhere else to put more overhead work if you'd like to make OHP a priority too. Titrate the additional work in based on recovery.


ETA: Benching is way more technical and thus seems to respond to frequency and repetition. The sets don't even have to be super heavy to get this benefit. OHP, on the other hand, is a fatigue monster that seems to be totally the opposite. Just my anecdotal account.

What do you mean by benching 1.5x a week? I have been benching twice a week for a while, though the type of benching in the second day has been inconsistent. I've done 5x5 at a lower weight, Spoto press, pause bench. Nothing seems to be working.

I agree with you my bench numbers are way out of whack with my OHP numbers. It seems my bench has gone down the crapper since lifting at my home gym in April. Any bench press programming suggestions?

Take a look at this program. https://bodybuildingworld.com/vol15_..._advanced.html
I used it about a year ago and gained about 25 lbs on my 1rm, we have somewhat similar numbers on our ohp and bench.

I got used to the volume easier than I thought I would, its worth trying out for at least one cycle.

Sorry I've only skimmed your log and assumed you were doing GSLP, which calls for 1.5 benching frequency. I'd go with at least 2x and be more consistent. Probably don't even use variations on the second day until you're happier with your standard bench setup and form. But no problem with benching 3x a week either as long as you're monitoring recovery.

Thanks! I will give this a try once my back feels better. I was planning on going back to lifting three times a week. This program should fit in nicely.

9/11/17

Inverted rows: 10x3
Bench press: 157.5 x 5,5,8
Neutral grip pull-ups: 8,7,6
Dips: 8,8,7
Banded face pulls

I had go to an urgent care center Saturday morning for my back. My back felt fine after jacking it up squatting Friday. It was all good until I tried going to bed. The doctor on duty says I have a dysfunctional SI joint on my right side. She also said I should be using a belt when lifting. After getting some muscle relaxers, my back was feeling much better today. I don't plan on doing anything that loads my spine vertically until I talk to my PT this Friday.

In the spirit of trying something new, I wore my belt while benching. I'm not sure if it helped get more reps, but it is a great reminder for breathing into my stomach. I think I will stick with it for now.

9/14/17

Weighted neutral grip pull-ups: BW+10: 5,5,7
OHP: 110 x 5,5,8
Inverted rows with supine grip:10,10,9
Bench press: 160 x 5,5,7
Superset:
Ab wheel: 8,8,6
Band face pulls

Sweet progress on OHP. Haven't hit eight reps in the AMRAP OHP in months. I have started taking a breath at the top of each rep. I used to try to get as many reps as possible on one breath. When I had to take a breath, that meant two more reps tops.

Damn, just saw about the SI. Hope you get good news tomorrow, and take it easy with it.

Thanks. My back has been a lot better the last couple of days. I haven't taken a muscle relaxer since Tuesday. Just sucks my back does this at least once a year. No warning signs, just abrupt pain. Usually on the last rep of the last set of deadlifts or squats. It is useful that your SI joint gives you an idea when it is a little off.

9/15/17

Trap bar DL: 275x9
8 36 kg KBS EMOM for 7 minutes

Surprisingly my PT suggested DLing the weight he had in mind after last week. No issues at all. I probably had another rep or two left. Seeing how I have SI trouble when I am fatigued, and my form was degrading a bit, I called it a session. It sure helps having someone watch to make sure my form is okay. I'm going to start cutting off AMRAP squat and deadlift sets earlier than I have. That, or I need to limit AMRAP sets.

9/18/17

BB rows (supinated grip): 160 x 5,5,10
Bench press: 162.5 x 5,5,7
Neutral grip pull-ups: 8,7,6
Dips: 8,8,8
Band face pulls

I had a lot of trouble with leg drive. My legs got tired after a couple of reps. It made everything out of whack. Surprised I reached seven AMRAP reps.

9/19/17

Squat: 175 x 5,5,8
Split squat: 85x5, 95x5x2
Ab rollout: 4,4,3

I saw a video that suggested doing ab rollouts with a posterior pelvic tilt, aka squeeze dat ass at the beginning. It definitely activated my abs much better. I wish my abs felt as worked after squatting and deadlifting.

9/21/17

Weighted neutral grip pull-ups: BW+12.5 x 5,5,7
OHP: 112.5 x 5,5,7
BB rows: 135x8x4
Bench press: 165 x 5,5,6

9/22/17

Trap bar DL: 285x9
EMOM x 8 min: 8 KBS at 80#

Last session with the PT. He suggested coming back in four to six weeks if my squat feels off.

I'm going to spend the weekend figuring out where to go from here, program-wise.

Glad to hear it (apparently) wasn't a serious injury. Being cautious is the right play!

9/25/17

Bench press: 182.5 X 1, 167.5 x 5,5,7
BB rows: 165 x 5,5,7
Squats: 180 x 5,5,7
Ab rollout: 6,5,3

I decided to go back to old reliable, GSLP. Just for kicks, I plan on adding an over warm up set before the working sets when pressing. I plan to use the extra day to recover and work on my SI problems (i.e. stretching and strengthening the glutes, lightly stretching the lower back).

I am considering doing a version of GSLP Jordan Feigenbaum of Starting Strength came up with: https://thefitcoach.wordpress.com/20...-strength-bias. The main difference is that Friday is an intensity day, where you do one working set at around your 5RM, then a back off set for 12-15 reps. Has anyone tried something like this? If I do it, it will just be for pressing. I'm still too anxious to go balls out when squatting.

9/27/17

OHP: 115 x 5,5,6
Neutral grip pull-ups: 8,7,6
Sumo DL: 245x8
Split squat: 95x5x3

My Right SI/QL was getting pissed while pressing. Looks like it is time to start pausing at the bottom, progress be damned. The discomfort played a part in pussing out in sumo DLs. Definitely had more in the tank, but cut it short. It felt much different than I remember having taken four weeks off from it. Next week should be better.

Yeah, it sucks, but the layback associated with the press is what irritates my SI the most these days (getting a nice arch for benching is actually second, above lower body stuff, surprisingly). It would be helpful if I had more t-spine mobility, but in lieu of that I just try to make sure that I'm more vertical when I unrack the bar for OHP (fakeb and I were actually just texting about this yesterday, so it's far from an isolated problem). I was starting out with my feet so far under the bar (i.e. my elbows were forward instead of under the bar) that my lower back/SI region was under pressure essentially as soon as I unracked. No es bueno.