11/1/18

RDL:
195x5x3

Press:
155x1
122.5x5x3, 122.5x4,3

Barbell curls and banded facepulls

I experimented the last few weeks breathing at the top of my presses. Just not my thing.

11/3/18

Deadlifts:
335x1
315x4

CGBP:
152.5x5x3

Squats:
220x5x3

Deadlifts still suck. The bar drifts forwards as I am pulling. Below is my set at 315. I would appreciate any feedback on fixing this problem. I don’t feel the bar drift forward, but I can tell when I do it during a rep (because the rep feels super hard and my back feels like it goes into flexion).

Squats went surprisingly excellent. I set my stance width out an inch and remembered I need to spread the floor before descending. No pain at all.

I was so encouraged, I tried a set of sumo deadlifts at 225. It was awkward since it has been about eight months since I last did it. No hip pain though. I’m considering pulling sumo again since my conventional DL has regressed so bad the last few months.

Great news on the squats; onward and upward!

Re: deadlift, that set looked alright to me; that said, I'm currently fighting the same thing you are, so here are a few cues bouncing around my current thoughts:

-Setting my lats: it's a bit more challenging for me to do so with my supinated hand, but really getting them tight and feeling like I'm dragging the bar into my shins (obviously not what is actually happening) has been a semi-useful cue.

-I'm not getting tight enough overall before the pull; when I squat, it's easy enough to set my upper back, screw my feet to the floor, engage quads/hammies/glutes, and feel everything when I'm descending purposefully in the hole. I should be doing a similar thing deadlifting (and sometimes it happens), but I need to be better getting tight everywhere (pushing through both the heels and toes, quads engaged ready to push off the floor, hips back a bit and tight without pulling my hips too low or shoulders behind the bar, lats tight, chest up hard) instead of just mostly getting into position, getting sort of tense, and yanking.

My upper back is for sure my weak point though, so rounding there + losing the bar forward is how I fail too. I'm going to be switching to the Sheiko program fakeb is on after I finish this cycle of J&T, which I think should have enough sub-maximal but relatively intense work to help me fix this problem.

Thanks for the feedback, Monte. I agree with your thoughts about how it is easier to get tight for squats than deadlifts. The big difference in our deadlifts is I get skittish when I feel my form break down based on past back tweaks. I wish I was as intrepid as you and others, like cha, when deadlifting.

The one cue I’m having trouble with is chest up. When I try to do that, I either arch my lower back and lose core tightness, or I sit back. In the future, I think I will try to keep my chin tucked and remember to set my lats and flex my tricep. I thought deadlifts were as easy as picking something up.

Yeah, chest up leading to dropping my hips and rounding my lumbar is something I'm slowly trying to fix. I'm just not great with kinesthetic awareness, so it's a pretty long process.

Sick troll putting cha and me in the same category for deadlifting; his normal is my never, in more ways than one.

Maybe toss the belt and see if that makes it easier to set your back.

Monte,

I should have known a subtle troll couldn’t get through.

Renton,

I may have to try that. The weight will feel tougher, but I don’t think I have any problems setting my back while warming up.

11/4/18

Strict rows:
140x8x3

Three count bench press:
177.5x4x4

Banded facepulls

I've been deadlifting beltless for a while for exactly that reason, fwiw.

I never got extra pounds out of the belt, but I was always bad at deadlifting when I tried belted. Not sure how much a belt would help me now that I'm a bit better at them. Probably won't find out for a while. I really doubt it provides even nearly the mechanical advantage that it does for the squat.

11/6/18

Squats:
250x3
265x3
280x3
250x3

Comp bench press:
197.5x3
180x4x4

Light deadlifts:
270x5x3

Still no hip pain from squats. That’s encouraging.

For deadlifts, I pulled sumo first set. Each rep flew up. I pulled conventional, but beltless second set; conventional and belted third set. Straightening my legs and bringing my knees to the bar right before the pull helped keep my hips level. The conventional sets did not feel that different, probably because the weight wasn’t heavy. Wearing a belt annoys me at the bottom because it moves around a little. I will continue to experiment pulling beltless, as it sounds like us spergs are better off doing so.

11/8/18

RDL:
197.5x5x3

Press:
120x5,4,5,5,4

Chins: 7,6
Banded tricep pushdowns

Ab rollouts

11/10/18

Deadlift:
340x1 (conventional), 1 (sumo)

Sumo deadlifts:
320x3x2

CGBP:
155x5x3

Light squats:
225x5x3

Both singles moved well. Reps pulling sumo just feel like they move faster. Plus my pulls are more consistent when doing multiple rep sets.

Light squats at 225

11/11/18

Strict rows:
142.5x8x3

3 count bench press:
180x4x4

Ab rollouts and banded face pulls

I think the chance of hitting a two plate bench press next month is better than 50%. I think I will try some heavy singles in a week.

11/13/18

Squats:
255x3
270x3
285x3
255x3

Comp bench press:
200x3
182.5x4x4

Light sumo deadlifts:
275x5x3

Now that the weight is getting heavy, I’m getting too far forward out of the hole. Heavy squats are tough, who knew?

11/15/18

RDL:
200x5x3

Press:
120x5x5

Chins: 8,6
Banded tricep pushdowns

Ab rollouts and banded facepulls

Try the cue I described in my latest log entry. I think for some people, this happens as an overcompensating measure when you're hitting the hole with a too vertical shin and weight on heels. In my squats you can see the plates rotating back at the end of every rep so I'm naturally shifting the weight back every time, causing me to have to find midfoot balance again at the start of each rep.

I will give it a shot Renton. My shin angle is far from vertical at the bottom. When I’m unbalanced, it is because I’m too far forward. I think I default to supporting the weight with my quads when I squat heavy, which I am pretty sure has contributed to my hip problem. It has hurt ever since i squatted on Tuesday.

11/17/18

Rows:
145x8x3

CGBP:
157.5x5x3

Ab rollouts and banded facepulls

11/18/18

Sumo DL:
345x1
315x3x2

Bench press w/3 sec pause:
182.5x4x4

Light squats:
230x5x3

Deadlifts moved fast.

Midfoot pressure was fine with squats. Right hip didn’t like squatting though.

11/20/18

RDL:
205x5x3

Press:
117.5x5x3
117.5x4
117.5x5

Chins and banded tricep pushdowns

A low energy day. And I am incapable of staying tight for a fifth rep of press. When I lower the weight after the fourth rep, I am always off balance by the time I get the bar above my chest. It takes a second or two to regain my balance. By then, the weight gets heavy in my hands and I can’t brace my core well.

What's your breathing routine like for press? Generally I get 3-5 reps on one breath, breathe at the top and re-brace, then keep going. Are you wearing a belt?

When I used to press heavy, I could do at least three reps in one breath. Now I can’t to do more than two. I also used to take my breath at the top. I can’t do it anymore because i get off balance on the descent. I think the balance issue is because the only place I can press on my platform is not flat. When I have lifted in commercial gyms in the last year, pressing was a lot easier. That could also be because I get to admire myself in the mirror.

Good for health.. Pain Relief Clinic

11/22/18

Squats:
290x1
295x1
285x2
255x3

Comp bench press:
205x2 (supposed to be 205x3)
185x4x4

Light sumo DLs:
285x5x3

First squat single flew up. Not so much for the second single. I think I was too hyped for it. I descended too fast, which put me on my toes and my upper back loose.

My foot slipped in the top bench press set. Not sure I would have hit three reps anyway.

Sumo DLs were easy. Even so, I was out of breath after each set.

11/24/18

Strict pendlay rows:
147.5x5x3

CGBP:
165x5x5

Ab rollouts and banded facepulls

11/25/18

Sumo DL:
350x1
360x1
315x3x2

3 sec pause bench press:
185x4x4

Light squats:
235x5x3

It easy to get tight before I pull up to 295. After that, I lose tightness in my lats and upper back. It causes me to be too far forward. At some point I will start failing singles because of this.

Edit to 11/25: I screwed up loading sumo DLs last workout. I pulled 340 and 350.

11/27/18

RDL:
210x5x3

Pin bench press 6 inches from chest:
195x2x4

Chins and deadbugs