Jswain's training log for powerlifting

Hyde said:
I like it a lot so far; I think you will like it for studies
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I most definitely have been enjoying it as an afternoon pick me up/study aid. With the relatively low dose of caffeine i can also take it when i get home from class as a pick me up before I start studying again without the problem of it keeping me up at night. The caffeine is pretty much perfect for a noot imo. I am honestly not going to get it up tonight either. I am so sorry. I have been studying for this pharm test since 4pm yesterday and havent taken breaks except to ****, eat, and sleep. I will get the log up tomorrow when this thing is over with.
 
jswain34 said:
I most definitely have been enjoying it as an afternoon pick me up/study aid. With the relatively low dose of caffeine i can also take it when i get home from class as a pick me up before I start studying again without the problem of it keeping me up at night. The caffeine is pretty much perfect for a noot imo. I am honestly not going to get it up tonight either. I am so sorry. I have been studying for this pharm test since 4pm yesterday and havent taken breaks except to ****, eat, and sleep. I will get the log up tomorrow when this thing is over with.
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No worries, at least you will have real feedback using it!
 
Hyde said:
No worries, at least you will have real feedback using it!
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She's finally up and running. Ill catch up over the next day or two. I at least have the damn thing up finally.
 
1/29

Week 3 day 3

Conv deads:
135/185/225/275/315x5
365x2
420x2x4@7/7/7/7

•fronts
185x5
205x4
225x4

i kind of dogged it on these in the name of time tbh. But they still weren't necessarily easy problably like an rpe 6.

•GHR
Vs light band x8x3

Ss/

•tbar landmine row
100x8x4

Had a better wedge on pulls today. They felt much better than last week.
 
Hyde said:
Just try to force your peniss into the bar
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tyga tyga said:
The ole “stick it in” method
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I have tried that cue and honestly it really hasnt worked for me yet. My pulls feel the best when my "spread the floor" cue is working, even conventional. If that cue is working forcing the painis into the bar just happens naturally for me.
 
Had a good lift today. Strength was bumped from where it has been and I got a nice pump going after the strength work. Overall successful training session.

•cgbp (work up to 6rm, 2-4 rep drop sets x3-4 with same weight)
45/95/135/185/225x5
255x6
[email protected]
[email protected]
@8
@9

Did 9 sets x12 pull aparts, some overhand true pull aparts some underhand shoulder Ws / external rotations during this.

•Arnold press
45x8
55x8x3 last set @10

•hammer curl
45x10x2
45x5 drop 35x5

•False grip lat pulldown
140x10
150x10x2

•Facepulls
50x20x3

•Tri rope extension (on keizer air resistance machine)
50x15x2
45x15
Got a great contraction on this station.

•lateral raise
20x12x2
 
MrKleen73 said:
Figured you might want to get in on this challenge thread since you are trying to lean up... Get on in there!

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/training-forum/300262-transformation-physique-goal.html
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Eh i think im gonna pass. It isn't necessarily my long term goal, I'll probably stay in this deficit for another 4 weeks and then go back to a recomp diet of +300 on workout days and -300 on non-lift days. Will stay on that long term. I wont get enough progress with that type of diet to enter that short term of a transformation thread. I'll definitely sub in and watch everyone kill it though.
 
Was supposed to squat today but my SIs/lower back are feeling beat from playing pick up basketball for a couple hours yesterday. So im just gonna give it a day and get the session in tomorrow morning.
 
W4D1

WU: usual dynamic warmup, donnie's hangs, Bottoms Up kb squat, Cross body KB SLDL w/ hip flex at top

•LB SQ
45/95/135/185/225/275x5
315x3@8
355x2@9/9

My SIs were still not very happy. The walkout was brutal, like a knife twistinhg in my SI joints each step I took. As you could tell I also had no strength so instead of beating myself to **** I just did 2 sets of 2 and called squats for the day.

•SLDL
135x8 + fat gripz
185x8 vs doubled monster minis
225x8 " "
245x8 " ", walkout started to get painful here too.
245x8 " "

•GHR
2x12 vs monster mini

And
Cross body KB SLDL w/ flex
30lb x12x2

Ss/

•seated cable row
140x12
160x12x3

Those cross body SLDLs are great Sean. Some serious glute firing there.
 
They seem like they would be a bear! I can barely balance with regular ones! You got some great work in despite your pain at least.
 
Hyde said:
They seem like they would be a bear! I can barely balance with regular ones! You got some great work in despite your pain at least.
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I wont lie, i had 2 fingers on the off hand resting on the upper handle of a hex bar (it was vertical) to help me keep balance. The hip flexion part really takes it to a whole other level getting that grounded glute complex firing.
 
2/6 w4 d2

Another good bench day today. I may have set a PR at the top set RPE but i dont really keep track of all of that so I just know it was in that ballpark, and this time I did it in a deficit. Bw today was 235.5, ive been stagnant at 235-236 for 2 weeks now but im not dropping cals any lower so if I stay here for another few weeks ill just start my recomp and build back up from here. I didnt drop quite as much abdominal fat as I was wanting but i guess its good enough. This is where I'm at :nudez:

Relaxed:
Invalid Link Removed

Flexed + angle:
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Arm post workout:
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Back:
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Edit: i need to clean my mirror lol. Single guy living alone ?

Definitely not sloppy but like I mentioned I'm not quite where i wanted to get before i started adding mass again. Id guess im around 16% and would like to ideally get to sub 15.

Anyway, todays workout

•Comp bp (ring on ring) (work up to x9@~9, then 2-4 sets of x5-7 rep drop pin press)
45/95/135/185x9
225x3
260x9@8 (maybe rep PR at that rpe) (1st and last 2 reps were comp paused)

+Pins, ~1 inch from chest
[email protected]/8.5/9.5

•Pull ups
Pron grip: x10/x7
Neutral grip: x12

•landmine "overhead" press
70x12 L&R
70x11 @10 L / matched on right @8
70x10 @10 L / " "

•lateral raise
25x12@10
20x12@10
17.5x12@8

Ss/

•Bent over DB rear delt fly
15x15x3

•ohd Tri extension myo rep
120x15 activation
x4x3; x3 F on attempted 4th

•Chin up myo rep
bw (235.5) x10 activation
x4; x2@10
 
W4 d3

•high handle trap bar deadlift off of power rack base (~1.5")
45/135/185x8
+triangled, doubled light iron woody band each side
185x8
225x8
275x8
315x8
365x8

Drop bands
405x15

Pic for set up reference:
Invalid Link Removed

•Front squat
45/95/135x6
185x6
215x6
215x6

Ss/

Landmine tbar row
70x12
80x12x3

•GHR
vs iron woody light x8x3

Ss/

Mcgill curl ups
x6 each leg with 6 second hold at contraction for 2 sets

No idea exactly how much band tension was at the top but id GUESS around 75lbs a side. It was heavy at the top with the 365 on there.
 
You are looking good, maybe not where you wanted but still way better than any average man!
 
Hyde said:
Nice session! And nice rack setup w the trap bar
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Thanks bud. Yah, i had planned to do more of a rack pull but the rack width doesn't accommodate the plates being loaded onto the trap bar since the trap is narrower than the standard barbell. I really dislike that middle band pin on the bottom of the rack, it's impossible to pull inside the rack. And therefore, impossible to pull from the floor vs bands or with reverse bands. My squat stance also maxes the rack width out, the lateral part of my foot is brushed up along the side of the rack because there are these grooves for the bench to slide into place in (you can see them in that pic above). Pretty poor rack design all around in my opinion, they were trying to knock off the elitefts racks but i dont think anyone who actually lifted ever tested the prototype.

Hyde said:
Also you definitely look leaner here than I recall (not that you looked fat, but I see progress)!
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MrKleen73 said:
You are looking good, maybe not where you wanted but still way better than any average man!
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Thanks fellas. Ive decided to stay the course for another month or two. I have really had 230, ~15% in my mind as a target for a while so im gonna do my damndest to get there while still enjoying myself to some degree.
 
First day back at the gym since my last update. Girlfriend came to visit last Thursday and was here until yesterday so I took that time completely off to be with her, then last night I crammed for a pharmacology test i had this morning and didnt study for all weekend cuz I wanted to spend time with her. That went well as you might imagine. I didnt blow that bad though so im okay with how i went about it. It was great to see her and we really enjoyed ourselves over the weekend. Thursday night we made a nice dinner together, Friday I got us a hotel up in a cozy ski town in Vermont night, and then Saturday night we met up with a few of my friends for school for a beer then she and I came back to my apartment and made a pizza and drank some good beer together. Haha, my kind of girl :) (I'd hope since we've been together for 4 years lol).

Anyway, i was pretty damn tired going into this session and was considering just doing my cg bench work, main pressing accessory, and main back accessory the leaving, but I was able to make myself get in my GPP/less important stuff too.

As i was setting up to bench and writing out my workout i realized I accidentally did my cg progression for comp presses last week (day 1 of this training week) so I made up my comp work sets/reps today with close grip.

•CGBP (72.5x4x3-5)
45/95/135/185/215x5
[email protected]/6/6
Then went rogue and worked up to ~90% e1rm
285x1@6?
[email protected]

•Arnold press
55x9x3@7/8/8

Ss/

•False grip lat pull down
150x10
A guy took the pulldown station and turned it into a rowing station (seat folds down) so i just moved on with the intention of going back when he was done.

•Hammer curl
45x10x2
45x8

Ss/

•facepull
50x15x3

•Tri ext
110x15
120x15
110x15

Ss/

•weighted ball holds
(id guess ~16 inch circumference)
8lb x20s x3

Was just burning time between tri extension sets. Got a good forearm/finger burn going on my left side though, pretty easy on the right.

•guy never finished at the station so i just put a zbar on the cable machine and did half kneeling pulldowns
180x15
200x15
 
Sounds like an awesome weekend spent right.

Also, is it weird that I can close grip max within 10-15lbs of my max comp bp?
 
Hyde said:
Sounds like an awesome weekend spent right.

Also, is it weird that I can close grip max within 10-15lbs of my max comp bp?
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It sure was! We had a great time.

I dunno if its weird, but its the same way for me. There was actually a time that my best triple @10 for cgbp was more than my best @10 triple for comp. I moved my comp press grip in shortly thereafter lol. Oh how i miss those good old days at jakked. Da tris build the groundwork for a big raw press.
 
Nice work, and a great weekend it sounds like!

My close grip and normal grip are also pretty comparable. Same with incline and regular bench. It isn't that common but has always been that way with me. I think it has to do with my longer arms, even a wider grip leaves the triceps very challenges due to longer arms. So all pressing is pretty triceps dominant for me.
 
2/14/18

W5 d1 - switched to Kubik progression for squats - ascending 4x5 working up to the last being @9.5-10

•low bar squat (+ olys)

45/95/135/185/225x5
+ loose belt
265x5
+latched
315x5
340x5
[email protected] (technical rpe = 11 - last rep felt borderline ugly)

Will take me some time to get back into my oly low bar groove. I mainly just have to re-find my stance width and foot angle as i naturally just kept walking out to my flat width and foot angle and it throws off my pattern some. No real back or SI pain today so that is a great sign as compared to last week.

•RDL/SLDL
135x8
Vs monster mini doubled
135x8
185x8
225x8
250x8
Drop band
275x8

•GHR
Vs monster mini x12x3

Ss/

Unil cable row
160x12
140x12
120x12x2
 
Hyde said:
Uh-oh, took the plunge on some Dinosaur Training, eh? ?
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Yup. About as bare bones as it gets as this is really the only thing I've added/changed as of now, but its a start! My old progression I was following was only 4 weeks until it reset and this happened to be the 5th week of training so it was perfect timing for a change as well.
 
jswain34 said:
Yup. About as bare bones as it gets as this is really the only thing I've added/changed as of now, but its a start! My old progression I was following was only 4 weeks until it reset and this happened to be the 5th week of training so it was perfect timing for a change as well.
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When I was using the Texas Method (OG template) that was the simplest program I’ve ever used. Now I bastardized it but it helped me re conditions after all the stuff I went through.

I’m interested in reading that book though. Either you or Hyde care to send it? Lol
 
tyga tyga said:
When I was using the Texas Method (OG template) that was the simplest program I’ve ever used. Now I bastardized it but it helped me re conditions after all the stuff I went through.

I’m interested in reading that book though. Either you or Hyde care to send it? Lol
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Sent. It’s a fun read if nothing else.
 
I sent it a few mins ago too, so you should get it from somebody!
 
2/16/18

W5 d2

•comp bench (ring on ring) (77.5x3x3)
45/95/135/185/215x5
245x3
275x3@5/6/6.5

Pin press
[email protected]
300x3@8

•Landmine Op
70x10x2

Cut it a set short. My ulnar nerve has been impinging in the cubital tunnel during these the last few weeks and it was worse today so i decided not to continue with it for the day. I just get a pinch/twinge over that area, luckily no radicular symptoms down my arm or into my hand at this point. It really only bugs me on this exercise and dips to a lesser degree (as i found out later.)

Ss/

Pull ups: pron - 10/6
Ng: 12

•lateral raise
25x10x3

Ss/

Bent over rear delt fly
20x12x3

•dips (myo)
Bw (235.5) x15
x4x5 last set @10
The handles i was using slide onto the power rack and i had to have my hands at about a 30 degrees pronated (with neutral being 12 to 6 on a clock, i had to be at 11 & 5) to not get the zing.

•chin ups
Bw x6
x4
x2 fail 3rd

5 breathes between sets on both myo sets. ~15 seconds.

Have a good weekend yall. Plan to get some trap bar deads in tomorrow or sunday, havent decided which yet.
 
jswain34 said:
2/16/18

W5 d2

•comp bench (ring on ring) (77.5x3x3)
45/95/135/185/215x5
245x3
275x3@5/6/6.5

Pin press
[email protected]
300x3@8

•Landmine Op
70x10x2

Cut it a set short. My ulnar nerve has been impinging in the cubital tunnel during these the last few weeks and it was worse today so i decided not to continue with it for the day. I just get a pinch/twinge over that area, luckily no radicular symptoms down my arm or into my hand at this point. It really only bugs me on this exercise and dips to a lesser degree (as i found out later.)

Ss/

Pull ups: pron - 10/6
Ng: 12

•lateral raise
25x10x3

Ss/

Bent over rear delt fly
20x12x3

•dips (myo)
Bw (235.5) x15
x4x5 last set @10
The handles i was using slide onto the power rack and i had to have my hands at about a 30 degrees pronated (with neutral being 12 to 6 on a clock, i had to be at 11 & 5) to not get the zing.

•chin ups
Bw x6
x4
x2 fail 3rd

5 breathes between sets on both myo sets. ~15 seconds.

Have a good weekend yall. Plan to get some trap bar deads in tomorrow or sunday, havent decided which yet.
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I get that pinch occasionally but I found that if I put on some wrist wraps I am able to train unaffected. I wear them for a week or two and when I stop wearing them it is always gone.
 
Hmm. Good to know. Ill give the wraps a shot next time.
 
W5d3

•trap bar deads (high handles, off rack base like last week)

135x6
+ double pro light bands triangled, like last week
135x6
185x6
225x6
275x6
315x6
365x6@9
Drop bands
405x6
365x15

My lower back wasnt feeling great today so i called it at the 405 and then dropped down for a volume set. The 405x6 was at about 8 rpe, which is crazy because I did it x15 with a couple left in the tank last week.

•fronts
135/185/205x6
225x6x2 some reps paused

•ghr
Vs pro light: x8x2; x10

•landmine tbar row
90x10
100x10x3

•mcgill curl ups
x6 per leg w/ 6 ct hold x 2 sets
 
Isn't that crazy with the pull. I love it for how hard it is but man it can be a confounding lift if you expect to always see linear progression.... If CNS, food, rest and the other things are not in effective ranges you will notice it for sure in your deads if paying attention.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Isn't that crazy with the pull. I love it for how hard it is but man it can be a confounding lift if you expect to always see linear progression.... If CNS, food, rest and the other things are not in effective ranges you will notice it for sure in your deads if paying attention.
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It is crazy, and honestly a bit of a shock for me. I have always been able to keep it linear "ish". That is by far the biggest drop from week to week i have ever had. That's probably ~100lb difference in an e1rm calc (which lets be real dont really mean much other than being a reference point). I cant exactly explain why it happened other than hypothesizing some guarding from my back feeling a little sketchy that day. I have kept things outside the gym fairly constant in terms of sleep and food. Stress fluctuates but it wasn't particularly high that day (like the day i couldnt even finish my full session because i was stressed about a test the next day, for example).
 
W5D4

•CGBP (thumb from edge) ([email protected]; 2-4x4-5 rep drops)
45/95/135/185x7
215x5
245x3
[email protected] ~373 e1rm...honestly that was my legit rpe but i was surprised at how well that set went so I adjusted my rpe to an 8.5 and went up based on that e1rm calc.
295x6@10 -> glad i made that calculation adjustment.
280x5@8
280x5@10 -> hit a wall quick

Ss/

Trx rear delt fly
Bw x10x3

And
Band pull apart x12x5

•Arnold press
[email protected]/9/10

Ss/

False grip lat pull down
120x10
160x10x3

•hammer curl
45x8x2
40x8

Ss/

Facepulls
50x20x3

•ohd tricep extension
130x12x3

Ss/

Weighted Ball hold
10lb x30s x2 each hand (once again just f'ing around. Just kind of a fun bs thing).

Notes:

Next week i have finals week. Instead of jumping into a new full training week I think im going to revise my exercises and just compound both lower days into 1 session on Thursday and then the upper session on Saturday, then take next week as a deload (still gonna try to go in but if i cant manage it i wont sweat it) and continue from where i left off the following week.
 
Nice benchin’ homie. Better to have sessions that really count vs more frequent piddly sessions anyway, I feel.
 
Yeah some serious benching there 290x10 is beast mode! I think 275x10 was my best set of 10 ever.
 
If I could press 275 for one again that would be pretty cool... one day...

Strong benchin’ bro
 
Thanks guys.

Hyde said:
Well, it was 295x6, but I agree!
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And this, I woulda been much more pumped about 295x10...although I probably would have been mad I didnt go for 300. I think I could have had 280x10 on that set (obviously since i have it a 7.5) which definitely would have been a PR. Either way, yesterday's bench day has me feeling good about what could be ahead.
 
Hyde said:
Well, it was 295x6, but I agree!
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Oh yeah, I saw the RPE of 10 next to it and was in awe! Still 295x6 is beast!!!
jswain34 said:
Thanks guys.



And this, I woulda been much more pumped about 295x10...although I probably would have been mad I didnt go for 300. I think I could have had 280x10 on that set (obviously since i have it a 7.5) which definitely would have been a PR. Either way, yesterday's bench day has me feeling good about what could be ahead.
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No doubt, that session was pretty stellar in my opinion!
 
Much better lower/deadlift day today. I will say, after doing some thinking I decided I dont think im ready physically to start pushing low bar like I really wanted to. I have decided to make my main squat movement tempo SSB pause squats and will hopefully (aka hopefully i can make myself) stick to that until I feel i have my back feeling healthier and more stable and also built up sufficient momentum in that lift, then I'll consider making the switch back to comp style squatting. I really miss squatting heavy, but I just dont think it's whats best for me right now.

•TEMPO ssb pause squat (2 ct ecc, 1-2 ct pause, explosive as possible concentric)
Back to flats
30/80/120/170/210x5
240x5
[email protected] -> i brought my stance in a tad here (~1-1.5") and it made a difference with the pop I got out of the hole. Gonna stick with that for a bit. Its still pretty wide by most peoples standards.
No pause
300x5@8 -> just felt like going a little heavier. Still so far away from squatting 520 again...

•Trap bar deads (usual set up)
135/225x4
+ triangled pro light
225/275/315/405x4
Drop bands (I wanted to go to 430 but i was out of room on the bar so i had no choice but to take the bands off)
455x4@5-6?
405x15@5 -> I regretted not going for 20. Pussed out due to huffing and puffing.

•SL leg extension
50x15x3 per leg

•GHR
Bwx15x3 per leg

Good day. "Deads" felt much better compared to last week.
 
The squat can come back faster than you think. Just keep after it steadily and it will creep up for you. Be patient and progressive over time.
 
In my experience if you get strong with the SSB you go back to Low bar and find yourself to be stronger than before after a week or so of going back to the back squat.
 
Hyde said:
The squat can come back faster than you think. Just keep after it steadily and it will creep up for you. Be patient and progressive over time.
Click to expand...

Yup, thats the goal. Its just been difficult for me because obviously the end goal is always to get stronger so always just end up being short sighted and jump back into low bars. Im gonna build this ssb variation for 6-12 weeks and hopefully get my back "right" over that some time frame then reassess. Its just damn frustrating remembering a year ago at this time I was good for close to 530 in sleeves and now I wouldnt be surprised if I couldnt even hit 450 for a single.

MrKleen73 said:
In my experience if you get strong with the SSB you go back to Low bar and find yourself to be stronger than before after a week or so of going back to the back squat.
Click to expand...

Thats the goal, I want to build up this accessory lift that addresses my main weaknesses (eg: upper back caving, weak quads) and then see how much carry over i can get out of it.
 
I am about as pleased how bench is going as I am frustrated with my lower lifts. As long as I keep something moving positively I will continue to take it as a W.

•CGBP (work up to [email protected], then 2x2 pin press with same weight)

Grip: thumb from edge

45/95/135/185/215x5
255x3
285x3
[email protected] (PR*) ~370-375 e1rm

CG Pin press ~1" off chest
315x2x2@8/9.5

•Comp (82.5x3-5x2, 290 = 355 x0.825) (355 was my starting e1rm for the training cycle)
290x2x2@8/7 (ring on ring)
290x2x2@7/7.5 pinky on ring)

I did band pull aparts and trx rear delt flys throughout those sets. Maybe not every set but probably 85% of them. I probably did about 100 reps for rear delts spread through there.

•NG PUs
Bwx12/10/8

Ss/

•Keisser station unilateral tricep pushdown (reverse grip)
20x20
20x15x2

•Spider curl
30x10
27.5x10x2

Ss/

•lateral raise
25x12x2

Another good bench day. Been a while since I set a bench PR so thats knifty. I seem to have found a bit of a groove with my cg, which means im due for a pr with my comp grip any day now.
 
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