12/11/17

OHP: 125x4, 115x5x2
Squats: 205x5, 185x5x2
Pull-ups: 6,6,6
Dead bugs

**** globe gyms. I have become accustomed to my antisocial lifting with my own music. Ick at what they play at gyms.

As expected, my main lifts suffered while the accessories are the same or better. No wrist or elbow pain when squatting. I squatted beltless and in chucks. A lot more forward lean than I’m used to, but at least I didn’t feel pinched forward like in my oly shoes.

12/13/17

Bench press: 175x5, 165x6x2
Sumo DL: 265x5x2
Pause BB rows: 130x5x3

12/15/17

OHP: 125x5, 115x5x2
Squats: 210x5, 190x5x2
Pull-ups: 7,6,5
Dead bugs

How's squat feeling these days? Any better? Let's see some videos!

A lot better than a couple of weeks ago. I finally found a bar position and grip that doesn’t kill my elbows. I use a thumbless grip with my hands angled at 45 degrees such that my pointer and middle fingers don’t rest on the bar. I also have been squatting in chucks. They keep my center of mass farther back than oly shoes. That is most likely because I am awful in sitting back in the hole. If I get better, I may switch back to oly shoes.

I will start posting videos again when I return to Seattle on the 24th. The gym I am lifting at now is a busy stereotypical South Florida gym. People like to do curls, shrugs, and other stuff you see in GGO between squat racks making it is difficult to consistently film.

12/18/17

Bench press: 180x5, 165x5x2
Squats: 215x5, 185x5x2
Pause BB rows: 135x5x3

Half the intensity, twice the exhaustion!

12/20/17

OHP: 125x5, 115x5x2
Sumo DL: 275x6
Pull-ups: 7,6,5

Deadlifts didn’t feel heavy. Had to cut the set short since the bar kept slipping. The knurling on the all the bars at the gym are smooth. That plus no chalk = poverty DL.

12/23/17

Bench press: 165x6x3
Squats: 185x6x3
Pause BB rows: 135x5x3

This was a workout in name only. I met up with a friend the night before and played PLO for the first time live. So much more fun to play than hold em. I didn’t get much sleep and had a long drive back from the casino yesterday. I just wanted to get in the gym and do something.

I believe this Wednesday I should be receiving programming from Chris Aydin from The Strength Athlete. A change of pace from doing GSLP is very welcome.

Good stuff. I'm on their free program now. Interested to see what it looks like.

Xmas

OHP: 120 x 5,5,5
Squats: 205 x 5,5,6
Pull-ups: 7,5,5
Dead bugs

Don’t know why but OHP feels better when in front of a mirror. My OHP has felt off ever since I began working out in my garage.

After OHP, I was getting warmed up for squatting by sitting at the bottom and moving from side to side. When I got up, I forgot I did not move the barbell above my head. Hurt like a mofo. I have a big bump on the crown of my head. It contributed to me cutting the squat AMRAP set short. That and on my sixth rep I could feel myself shifting to my left out of the hole, which never happens.

12/27/17

Bench press: 167.5 x 5,5,7
Sumo DL: 285x7
Pause BB rows: 137.5x5x3
Dead bugs

First time I can remember failing a press at lockout. Seventh rep come off the chest fine, but could not finish the last couple of inches.

My grip has regressed over the last couple of reps. I could barely grip the bar the first four reps. Went to mix grip the last three. Could have done more but my form felt compromised.

12/29/17

OHP: 115 x 5,5,7
Squats: 210 x 5,5,7
Neutral grip pull-ups: 7,6,5
Dead bugs

To change things up, I went with a thumbs over grip for OHP. I feel like I get better external rotation with it.

My right hip felt tight during warm up sets for squats. I started stretching my hip and quad in between sets, which helped a lot.

I’m hoping to get programming by Monday. I thought I was going to receive it this past Wednesday. Maybe the wait is because programming should start at the beginning of the week?

Probably the holiday.

I'm interested to see what it looks like too.

1/1/18

Bench press: 170 x 5,5,7
Squats: 215x5x3
BB rows: 155 x 5,5,9
Dead bugs

No squat AMRAP because each rep felt different. I easily had another couple of reps.

Programming incoming tomorrow. Huzzah!

1/3/18

OHP: 117.5 x 5,5,6
Sumo DL: 290x7
Pull-ups: 7,6,5
KBS: 24kg x 20 x 3

No new programming until next Monday. Chris from TSA emailed to say he has been busy with the holidays and traveling. He didn’t want to put something together hastily and short change me. Meh.

1/5/18

Bench press: 172.5 x 5,5,7
Squats: 220 x 5,5,6
BB rows: 157.5 x 5,5,9

I have had better success ever since changing over to a bulldog grip for bench press. The bar flies off the chest, but the lockout is a bit tougher.

Here’s my last squat set. Need to work on keeping thoracic extension throughout the rep. My bar path still looks like it is coming forward. It probably contributes to my right hip/quad discomfort. As usual, the weight did not feel heavy. I was completely gassed after the last rep. Maybe my breathing is terrible or inefficient?

Yeah, your bar part is getting way forward, and isn't traveling over the middle of your foot. Getting my knees more forward earlier helped me fix that.

That said, that set looked like an RPE 6. You should gradually work on training yourself to push past what "feels" hard towards what actually is hard. But after you fix your bar path.

1/8/18 - number next to weight is RPE

Pause squat ( x5 @ 5, x5 @ 6, x5 @ 7): 135(5), 155(5), 165(6)

Competition bench: 135x8x3

OHP (x6 @ 5, x6 @ 6, x6 @ 7): 85(5), 95(6), 100(7)

Weighted pull-ups (3x5 @ 8): +2.5x3

Pendlay rows (3x10 @ 8): 135(8), 135(9), 125(8)

Going to take a while to get used to RPE and all this volume. Bench was easy. Going to need to see if there is a difference between competition bench and pause bench. I paused each rep at my chest for a second.

I’m hoping fixing my bar path is one of the first things I talk about with the coach. It is horrendous.

1/10/18

Sumo DL: 235x5(6), 255x4(6), 275x3(6), 225x8(6)

RDL (x12 @ 5, x12 @ 6, x12 @ 7): 95, 115, 125

Split squats (3x12 @ 8): 55x12x3

RKC plank: 15s x 3

Banded pallof press: 5x3

It feels like this is essentially a deload week, but Friday will involve 185x8x3 of squats. Sounds like cardio.

Split squats initially felt awful for my right quad. I had to change my form so that my knee went straight forward instead of off to the side. In other words, external rotation seems to make the quad upset. The left side was pretty easy.

Comp squat: 185x8 @ 7, 185x8 @ 8, 185x8 @ 8.5
Comp bench press: 155x5 @ 6, 155x5 @ 6, 155x5 @ 7
Close grip bench press (3x12 @ 7):
95x12 @ 7
95x12 @ 7
95x12 @ 7.5

Dips (3x12 @ 8):
5 @ 8
5 @ 8
5 @ 8

Barbell rows (3x12 @ 8):
115x12 @ 7
115x12 @ 7
115x12 @ 8

Banded face pulls

I went back to squatting in oly shoes. The bar path is better, but I have a tougher time getting anything resembling a neutral back at the top. As a result, my back is sore. It was tough to hit eight reps each set, either because I was out of breath or the bar felt like it was starting to roll down my back. The latter is likely fixed by getting tighter, which will tire me out. Maybe pause squats will help with this.

This volume was super exhausting. This will be the toughest day.

1/15/18

Pause squat (x5 @ 5, x5 @ 6, x5 @ 7.5): 155x5, 165x5, 180x5 @ 7

Competition bench press: 145x8x4 last set RPE @ 8

OHP (x6 @ 5, x6 @ 6, x6 @ 7): 85x6, 95x6 @ 6.5, 100x6

Weighted pull-ups: +5 x 5 x 3

Pendlay rows: 130x10x2, 135x10

First time in a while I did not feel like I was tipping forward when squatting. Bar path still doesn’t look vertical, but still getting better.

1/17/18

Competition sumo DL:
235x5 @ 6
255x4 @ 6
285x3 @ 6.5
235x8x2 @ 6.5

RDL:
95x12 @ 5
105x12 @ 6
115x12 @ 6.5

Split squats: 65x12x3

RKC planks and pallof press

1/19/18

Comp squat:
195x8
195x7
195x9 @ 8

Comp bench press: 160x5x4, last set @ 7.5

Close grip bench press: 100x12x3

One arm band push down: 12x3

BB rows: 120x12x3

Face pulls

Accidentally only hit seven reps in second squat. I added an extra rep on the last set to make up for it. Hard to believe squats today were much easier compared to last Friday, which was 185x8x3.

Comp bench press has a one second pause at the bottom. One second seems like a long time.

1/22/18

Pause squat (x5 @ 6, x5 @ 7, x5 @ 8):
170x5 @ 6
180x5 @ 6.5
195x5 @ 7

Bench press: 150x8x4; last set @8.5

OHP:
90x6 @ 5
95x6 @ 6
100x6 @ 7

Weighted pull-ups:
7.5x5 @ 8
7.5x5 @ 8.5
7.5x5 @9.5

Pendlay rows: 135x10x3; last set @ 9

Having mucho trouble calibrating RPE for pause squats. I guess I just need to add more weight. Squats starting to feel a lot better.