Jswain's training log for powerlifting

Week 9 day 4 (finishing last weeks lifts)

•conv deadlift (5 sets of 3 @7 rpe)
135/185/225/275/315x5
365x3
+ belt
405x3
445x3@ what felt easier than a 7 but i didnt wanna push it too far today because my back has been a little touchy the last couple days.
445x3x3
Honestlt these felt speedy as ****. So i went up.

470x3@7ish

•pause deadlift off floor
Loose belt
335x3x3

I noticed in these that I was executing the spread the floor cue much better today than recent past. This was something I felt i did well during project momentum a year and a half ago when I set my PR conventional pull.

•pull up (alternate NG and pronated grips)
NG: 10, 8, 5, 5
Pron: 4 left shoulder kept popping so I just did the rest NG.

Ss/

•hanging leg raise
4 sets of 10

No knee pain to speak of during the lift itself. During my dynamic warmup I noticed that it only hurts in end range flexion when the quad is most stretched. Dunno if there is still a tiny joint effusion and that just builds up the intrarticular pressure or whats going on. Regardless, it didnt affect my lift. We'll see when squat day rolls around though.

Good lift today. I skipped my hamstring stretch accessory (RDL, Snatch grip rdl, etc) as thats what causes the most damage with the huge ROM since I might fill in on this guy's softball team tomorrow.
 
Damn man we are always getting hurt lol. Although knock on wood I am starting to regain some ground and building some momentum, so hopefully we can keep it going forward.
 
Week 10 day 1

•comp bp (goal: 5 sets of 2 @8) (both paused) (ring on ring)
45/95/135/185/225x5
265x3
305x2@7
[email protected]
315x2x3@8/8

•cgbp 1-2ct pause at 1" spoto (3 sets of 2@8) (half thumb from edge)
275x2x3@8/8/7.5

Ss/

Band pull aparts: monster mini 3 sets of 15

•HS iso inc press w/ bow tie (3x8)
45
90
120x8x3

•cable lateral raise
20x10x3

Ss/

Bent over cable rear delt fly
20x12x3

•bent over tri rope extension (cable column)
130x12x3

Ss/

Facepull
15x30x2

Not bad. Didnt feel as good as I did 2 weeks ago when I did those 315x3 sets with a 335x3 in the middle. @9 doubles next week..if i feel good im thinking 345-350x2, if everything is clicking ill go for 355. Then I may go to the west side certified gym the week after and try for a max. Its been since my last comp with Hyde (in May I think it was) that I went for a max I believe so im due.
 
Hyde said:
Damn man we are always getting hurt lol. Although knock on wood I am starting to regain some ground and building some momentum, so hopefully we can keep it going forward.
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Lol. Youre telling me man. At least mine (also knock on wood) have been rather minor that only effected about a week or two of training at the most (first hammy strain) and only a few days with the other hammy strain and this one. And ive avoided any substantial lower back stuff for a while now....also knock on wood cuz that **** is the worst.
 
Good to hear that knee wasn't a big set back. I agree next time lower the shoulder and teach them that blocking the plate can suck even if they get you out!!!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Good to hear that knee wasn't a big set back. I agree next time lower the shoulder and teach them that blocking the plate can suck even if they get you out!!!
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Its one thing if we're playing a competitive baseball game or something, but in slow pitch softball, not cool. For the record, I was safe :)
 
jswain34 said:
Its one thing if we're playing a competitive baseball game or something, but in slow pitch softball, not cool. For the record, I was safe :)
Click to expand...

Exactly my thought. Then again plowing someone down in slow pitch softball might be looked down upon there as well. Either way stuff like this shapes our future decisions. I imagine slow pitch or not the next person blocking the plate might get taken down just to avoid you being injured yourself. I know that is how I would adjust after that anyway.
 
Yah, its a lose lose situation really. Truck him - look like a dick, potentially hurt yourself and him too. Dont truck him - slide awkward as hell and potentially get hurt anyway. The clearest answer I see here is for him to get the fck out of the way.
 
What in the hell haha look at this wild ass set up

Invalid Link Removed
 
Missing chains and he’d have it all!

So many strength gains made in one set-up... he may be on to something
 
jswain34 said:
What in the hell haha look at this wild ass set up

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

What on earth, that looks to be pretty much nonsense... Looks like the bands pretty much cancel each other out. One is assisting while the other is resisting... I am sure there is some benefit due to instability or something at some point but really.... Hang some chains on it, or use a buffalo bar or some thing else to create instablilty.

This kind of reminds me of the Jujimufu video of him bench pressing suspended in a spiderweb of bands in a rack...
[video=youtube;Xu0PBrtgifE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu0PBrtgifE[/video]
 
Week 10 day 2

•OP

45/75/95/120x5
145x3
170x2
195x2x3

Didn't plan on doing any push presses but a guy was doing over head pressing in the smith so I did a couple til he was done.

Push press: 195x1, 215x1

Ss/

•band pull aparts
Monster mini x15x5

•Kaz Press (5x8)
90x8
140x8
150x8x4

Ss/

•DB hammer curl
35x8x5

•SA modular push down (5x12)
20x12x3
15x12x2

Ss/

•Hercules curl (4x12)
40x12x4

•cable curl w/ Z bar
70x7 bottom partial + 7 top partials + 7 full

•seated facepull
110x20

Not much to say about this one. I will mention that my left shoulder felt like it was impinging a bit during OP so I might switch to incline CG press next cycle.

Edit: see note at next update.
 
jswain34 said:
Not much to say about this one. I will mention that my left shoulder felt like it was impinging a bit during OP so I might switch to incline CG press next cycle.
Click to expand...

Have you tried landmine shoulder press? From what everyone tells me it is great not only for delts but the very upper clavicular portion of the pecs. Supposedly feels FAR better than normal overhead pressing.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Have you tried landmine shoulder press? From what everyone tells me it is great not only for delts but the very upper clavicular portion of the pecs. Supposedly feels FAR better than normal overhead pressing.
Click to expand...

I have! Thanks for reminding me about them! I remember seeing a "viking press" landmine attachment, maybe ill look into the price tag on one of those.
 
Week 10 day 3

On my way to the gym I realized that I skipped squats this week? Im kind of confused what I was thinking. I think I planned on doing them friday to give me enough time to recover over the weekend to hit deads monday then bench Wednesday. Pretty obvious that that plan went to shît. I decided to abbreviate today's squat session and plan to deadlift tomorrow now. That way i can still hit a max double on bench at the good gym on Wed.

•high bar 2 ct pause squat (88%x2x5@8 - 365 same % in week 7)
45/95/135/185/225/265x5
305x3
[email protected]/7/7/7

Low bar: 335x2@6

Didnt have much power/explosion out of the hole today.

•skipped fronts

•Zercher 1-2ct pause squat (4x6)
135x6
185x6x4

•lat pulldown (NG)
80x8
110x8x3

•face pull

Didnt feel like waiting for a cable station to open up so I just did 5x12 monster mini pull aparts

Notes:

Meh lift today. Got some work in at least. Better than doing nothing. Diet has been pretty bad lately, including a barrel aged craft beer fest yesterday. Deads tomorrow.
 
Cycle 2 Week 10 day 4

•conv deadlift
135/225/275/315x5
365x3
405x3
455x2@8 ->fell into old habits
455x2@8-> fuggin straight leg pulling again.
[email protected] -> same. Felt my usual spot in my left lower back start talking to me so I dropped the weight. Frustrating.
405x2@easier and technique was a LITTLE better. But the back was still feeling edgy. Cut the last set.

•pause off floor
*loose belt just to help cue bracing patterns*
315x2x3

•lat pull down NG
90x8 wu
120x10
140x10x2
130x10x2

Ss/

•hanging leg raise
5 sets of 10

Notes:
Not much to report other than what Ive already said. Took a step forward last week and went right back to where I was this week. I had the goal to hit 505 for a double since i hit 475x3@7 last week. Im not necessarily mad that I didnt get to the goal weight I had but more so from how I lifted the weight.

Hit some hangs before the gym and did some more when I got home.

Maybe im due to just hit pause pulls for the next cycle through of the program. Or maybe ill do pauses as my main then hit non paused as the accessory lift afterward. I really need to get the positioning off the floor through 1/4 the way up down. Maybe something like 3 sets of pauses, 2 sets of isometric holds vs pins at mid shin (need to do some more reading on these), then 3 sets off the floor. Just writing down some thoughts, will think about it a little more.
 
I understand the frustration, I am having to stick with back supported leg work right now because I have a tweak in my lower back. It is improving but barbell squatting or deadlifting are out of the question at the moment. They bring me right back to square 1... sitting with the hot tub jet directly on the area for about 15 minutes this weekend seemed to help a bit though.
 
MrKleen73 said:
I understand the frustration, I am having to stick with back supported leg work right now because I have a tweak in my lower back. It is improving but barbell squatting or deadlifting are out of the question at the moment. They bring me right back to square 1... sitting with the hot tub jet directly on the area for about 15 minutes this weekend seemed to help a bit though.
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I wish you a speedy recovery my friend. And you lucky dog! I hope to have a hot tub someday.
 
Im gonna go play pick up basketball tonight at the local elementary...need to get some cardio in ☹️. Hoping I dont strain a hammy in the process. I usually take the first game or two pretty lightly and dont do much in the way of sprinting so they usually count as my "warmup".
 
I miss pickup basketball. Haven’t done it since I was 18
 
RegisterJr said:
I miss pickup basketball. Haven’t done it since I was 18
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It always sounds a lot more fun before i realize i have to run. Lol. I am so out of shape. I probably should start taking my cardiovascular health a little more seriously.
 
Ain't nobody got time for that
 
As much as I agree with you and dislike cardio, its also kind of embarrassing being 25 and only being able to guard the guys in their 40s and 50s cuz you hate running so much (or are just that out of shape). I do weigh probably 50lbs more than 90% of the people that play and are under 30 though. But not all of that is good weight.
 
Last pick up game I played I was sore for DAYS. Knees ached, lumbar was aggravated and my hips were tight lol that was last year.

I couldn’t imagine playing now
 
Got a little cardio in today. We'll see how long I can keep it up lol.

•walk on treadmill
10 minutes @ 3 mph

•stair climber
12 minutes - ~35 flights total
3.3 flights per minute x1 minute
2.8 flights per minute x8 minutes
3.3 flights per minute x2 minutes
2.8 flights per minute x1 minute

tyga tyga said:
Last pick up game I played I was sore for DAYS. Knees ached, lumbar was aggravated and my hips were tight lol that was last year.

I couldn’t imagine playing now
Click to expand...

Yah I was pretty sore this morning, including my lower back as you mentioned. I did seem to loosen up after the above. Getting old is a bich.
 
Man, I don't even know when the last time I played basketball other than playing horse or some nonsense with my kids when they were younger. My new gym has 2 racket ball courts and I am really wanting to get some rackets and try to pick that back up again. I love racket ball but I think it would kill me now too!
 
C2 week 11 day 1

•Comp press w/ chains
45 for a few sets
95 for a couple sets
135x5x2
185 + chains (20-25 lb at top per side) x5
225 + chains x5
265 + chain x2
295 + chains x2
305 + chains x2

•cgbp
225 + chains x3
225 x 2 chains per side x3x2

•pin press at chest level
Vs doubled avg band per side (75 lbs each side at top, 55 at pin height)
45 + bands x5
95 + b x5
135 + b x3
185 + b x3x2
Herder said I had to beat him so
195x3 @10 hardest set of the day. Grinded through my sticking point for the first timenin a long time.

•Hoff triceps
Avg band on one side of the bar under the bench then to other side of the bar
It consists of 3 exercises done as a continuous set
3 sets of x8 skull crushers into x8 tricep presses low off the bellu really pressing it toward your feet then back into skull crushers for another 8 reps. The first set we did JMs for the last exercise but switched to skulls for the last 2 sets.

Notes:

Lifted with Herder at his gym today. Dude is a wealth of knowledge and as cool in person as he was on the forum. Hes really getting into westside stuff and while I was comp pressing he was doing speed work with 2 plates and 2 chains per side. Reps were speeeedy. A lot of the crew he's with go to westside on the weekends and one guy he trains with owns a 870-900lb bench training with westside for years. He said "everyone always has a reason why bands and chains dont work, but all of our benches keep going up so I'm not gonna change anything". Sound logic to me. Unfortunately by the time we got through the Hoff triceps I had to head out as it was getting late and I needed to go hang out with my grandparents for a bit.

I'm in West Virginia/Ohio on a fishing trip through the weekend. The plan is to squat tomorrow somewhere and i doubt ill get into the gym for the rest of the weekend. Ill pick up Monday.
 
Tell Herder we said hello. Enjoy the time bro
 
jimbuick said:
When is that guy coming back?
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I didnt get the feeling he really had any plans to come back. I know he supposedly left because he felt like he was spending too much time on here and it was taking up too much of his personal time. Hopefully he returns at some point. Dude knows lifting.
 
C2w11d2

•high bar pause squat (1-2 ct)
45/95/135/185/225x5
265x3
+ belt
295x2
325x2@8 -> left hip feeling a little angry today. Decided to double a mini around the knees to see if thatd help.
325x2@8
325x2@8 left hip and SI was not liking these today. Cut the last 2 sets. Im close to the point of just saying fuk back squatting for a while.

Just not there today. I think this happened last cycle as well - my strength seems to peak in week 9 and then 10 and 11 aren't nearly as good. Week 9 is immediately following a deload though so I suppose thats sort of to be expected. Maybe i need to change my mindset and instead of expecting prs in week 11 start thinking about hitting them at a 7 rpe in week 9. I was pretty underfed all day going into yesterday's session and only had a 640 cal subway sandwich post workout and nothing before this session, so that may have played a small role as well.

•zercher squat w/ 1ct pause (belt less)
Belt less
135x8
185x8x3

•seal row (had a seal row station so I had to try it) (2 sets of 5) (3 sets of 10)
95x5
135x5
185x5
215x5x2
165x10x3

Ss/

•monster mini band laying hamstring curls
2x12 I planned on doing 3-4 sets but it wasnt working out how i wanted it to

•facepulls
30x15x2
40x15

Lifted at a crossfit box hoping theyd have a GHR. They didnt so thats why i tried improvising with the band ham curls.
 
Week 11 day 3

•inc cgbp (in place of OP) (1/2 thumb from edge)
45/95/135x5
165x5
195x3
215x2
230x2x5

Ss/

•band pull aparts
Monster mini x10x8

•Hoff tris
5 sets of (x8 skull crusher -> x8 low chest cgbp -> x8 skull crusher) vs monster mini band

Got 1.5 sets through and the band rolled up the bench on me. I set it up like herder did so i dont know what the fuk happened but i just quit the exercise and did it with straight db weight instead. But did 8 skull crushers, 8 low press, 8 rolling tris all w/ NG.

30 for 1 set
35 for 3 sets

Ss/

•hammer curls
35x10x5

•single arm tri extension w rope (2 sets of 50)
20x50 R
20x50 L

Ss/

•Bent over incline bench curl (sup grip)
20x15

Switch to:

•preacher curl machine (sup grip)
90x12
110x12

•HS rear delt fly
90x30
90x20

Notes:

1. Sorta just did whatever i felt like today. Got a lot of rear delt and tri volume in. Either gonna deadlift tomorrow or Wednesday. Next week is a deload week so im not in any hurry to get the session in really. Gonna go play basketball again tonight so how beat up i feel when i wake up tomorrow will probably play a big part in determining if i pull or not.
 
What's normal grip press?
 
I've just moved mine back in to where I was, inside the rings. Moving pinky out past ring was useless to me over the last few months. Always felt weak. One of the guys I've been training with has had a few pec tears and he's all about the tricep bench now.
 
Hyde said:
I've just moved mine back in to where I was, inside the rings. Moving pinky out past ring was useless to me over the last few months. Always felt weak. One of the guys I've been training with has had a few pec tears and he's all about the tricep bench now.
Click to expand...

I'll always be more of a triceps bencher, but with how long my arms are I can still keep the majority of the emphasis on the tris with the ring on ring grip. Much more than that and I start losing strength. Shoot, thats why I brought my grip in from ring on ring in the first place, I was stronger with pinky on ring. But when I moved it out last cycle I seemed to be about the same strength wise and it didnt seem to bug my shoulders so I just kept it for a shorter stroke. If I keep that grip is tbd though.
 
Week 11 day 4

Warmup:
Dynamic lower warmup
Dead bugs 5 sets of 10 (5 per leg)
Ss/
Pallof press 35x10x3 per side

•comp deadlift
95/135/135/185/225/275/315x5
365x3
405x2
455x2x2
405x2

All way harder than they shouldve been. Like I almost failed a rep at 455 hard.

•facepulls
30x15
35x15
40x15x15x3

Had to play softball after this. I plan to come back tomorrow and do some accessories. Donno what my fuggin deal is.

On another note, I'm ditching this program for the start of school next month. Gonna put something together from Nuckols free programs at a 3x/week frequency and hit an accessory/whatever day for the 4th day if I have time that week. Gonna start low on the frequency scale (in terms of sessions/week) and will bump it up to 4x a week regularly if I feel like im adapting to everything well enough to do so. The only thing I know is that ill be benching 2x/week, squatting 1 or 2 (havent fully decided, but theres a chance i may not do a back squat either day if i do 2x, just fronts and zerchers, if i do back squats itll be high bar pauses still) and am leaning towards deadlifting 2x a week. For deads, I'm thinking of having the higher % day will be pause deads off the floor and the lighter day will be EMOM comp style for skill practice and the main goal on this day will be engraining the wedge and being explosive. The most important thing for me will be to make sure i can be in and out within a reasonable amount of time (ie: 60-90 mins max), and my training will reflect that.
 
When I started working again is when I began 5th Set. Definitely appreciated the 4 sessions per 9 day microcycle. You are doing it right, planning for the adjustment phase.
 
jswain34 said:
I'll always be more of a triceps bencher, but with how long my arms are I can still keep the majority of the emphasis on the tris with the ring on ring grip. Much more than that and I start losing strength. Shoot, thats why I brought my grip in from ring on ring in the first place, I was stronger with pinky on ring. But when I moved it out last cycle I seemed to be about the same strength wise and it didnt seem to bug my shoulders so I just kept it for a shorter stroke. If I keep that grip is tbd though.
Click to expand...

My bench grip is varied depending on where my shoulders are sensitive at the time. My numbers are pretty much the same whether I am ring finger on the ring, pinky on the ring, or about and inch inside the ring. However if the front of my delt is bothering me, I have to go wider and if the back of my delts are then I have to go narrower.

Hyde said:
When I started working again is when I began 5th Set. Definitely appreciated the 4 sessions per 9 day microcycle. You are doing it right, planning for the adjustment phase.
Click to expand...

Wow, a 4 sessions per 9 days split sounds like a great way to break back in.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Wow, a 4 sessions per 9 days split sounds like a great way to break back in.
Click to expand...

Yah, I considered just going back to 5th set but I'm really in no condition to be doing AMRAPS for lower body lifts right now and I wanted to get back into full body training for a bit. I really think that squatting or pulling to some degree really helps my back and hips, however counter intuitive that may he to some. I have my tentative layout set up and will work on posting it up if anyone is curious what I came up with.
 
Week 12 day 1 - deload, off program.

Warmup:
Pallof: 40lb x20-30s x3 per side
Banded dead bugs: monster mini x8 per side x3

•high bar squat
45/95/135x5
185x5x3

•conv deadlift
135x5
185x5
225x5x3

•Laying hamstring curl (3x15)
70x15x3

Ss/

•NG Pullup
X8/8

•Banded dead bug
Monster mini x10 per leg x2

Ss/

•SL glute bridge
Each side x8x2

Edit: btw, today was my first day back in the gym since I pulled last Thursday. I wen to visit my little brother at IU this past weekend and when I got home Sunday I was in no status /had no desire to go in. Ive been hunting (aka sitting on my ass in a tree stand) twice a day this week and between morning and afternoon sessions I've been busy cleaning/packing stuff up for the move. I also just generally needed a bit of a mental break from the gym. I have been sort of disappointed with how training has been going lately so I was really needing a mental deload as much as a physical one. This period off will hopefully help me re-focus and re-charge mentally with the goal of starting to see some progress again. Once I move, my nutrition should be much better than it has been the last several months so that should help too. Ive been drinking entirely too much beer and not really tracking calories diligently even though I have generally been trying to make smart choices. Weight today was still 245 so I apparently haven't done too bad.

Also, on another note, I am planning on getting back to tracking on paper with my new routine. I am not exactly sure when I stopped, but it was roughly around the same time I started at the new gym. 1. Its easier to refer back to past workouts than getting on here mid workout every time I am trying to remember what I did; and 2. It will get me off my phone and allow me to just be "into" the workout more i hope.
 
Love dead bugs but I have that pesky snapping hip on my right side. So, I don’t do them lol

Man, mental deload are very necessary! When you don’t enjoy lifting then it’s pointless (maybe not entirely pointless but you get it)

Anyhow, curious on the new layout.
 
Deload day 2

Warmups
New:
Banded lat stretch - immediately after doing this my left lower back where i typically have that dull ache essentially quit aching. Gonna start including these in my warmups and hopefully a few days on off days.

•Comp bp
45/135x5
185x5x3

Ss:

Band pull aparts (ie: external rotations) with supinated grip (5 sets)

•cgbp
185x12x2

Ss/

Same as above (2 sets)

•db row (light) (2x10)
60x10x2@1

Ss/

•cable chest press (1x8)
70 per side x10

Ss/

•cable lateral raise (3x12)
20x12x3

•once again tried to do the banded hoff tri-set and the application once again failed. Resorted to db rolling tri extensions
45x15

Notes:
Another lighter than normal deload day both in terms of volume and relative intensity. Feeling ready to start up my new setup next week (will get a few weeks in to make sure everything is ironed out before starting it up with school). Btw, tyga ill post that up for you (and whomever else) to look at later today when I get home.
 
tyga tyga said:
Love dead bugs but I have that pesky snapping hip on my right side. So, I don’t do them lol

Man, mental deload are very necessary! When you don’t enjoy lifting then it’s pointless (maybe not entirely pointless but you get it)

Anyhow, curious on the new layout.
Click to expand...

My left occasionally snaps (like 10% of the time) and ive found that if I really focus on contracting my left glutes while lowering the leg it seems to help keep it from happening.
 
here it is

I have the progression planned for Zerchers in there to the left. Bench and deadlift progression will be established based on the max attempt on week 4. The paused high bars will be established based on the x2@9 sets the final week. The accessories will just be +5-10 as I am able to complete all the sets. Invalid Link Removed

Edit: gonna have to zoom in if on mobile
 
Looks good!
 
tyga tyga said:
Look at that detail! (And color )

Looks good buddy
Click to expand...

I was bored one day and its a heck of a lot easier to see the things I wanted to see with the background color!
 
Dudes, I just did a virtual tour of one of the gyms that a lot of people go to by my school and it is HUGE. Half of of it is "commercialy" but they have a little mini crossfit box with an array of specialty bars and, best yet, a fugging GHR! Its pretty pricey but its not even the most expensive gym around there and the only cheaper option is an anytime fitness which i can guarantee wont have the equipment this one does. Oh, yah, there is also a spa, barber shop, and several clothing stores within the gym...crazy (and ridiculous).
 
Sounds amazing. Commercial gyms aren't so bad add long as they allow for normal use of the compound lifts.
 
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