Jswain's training log for powerlifting

9/23 week 4 day 3

•DE Conv DL
355x1x9 -> brought feet in to where i was pulling from on the rack pulls. Didnt feel great but thats not surprising since i just changed my foot placement.

•HE Bp (thumb from smooth -> im done trying to widen my grip out. Im just not as strong out wide right now and im done fighting it.
45/95/135/175/215x5
245x2 -> as i was setting up my arch i got a sharp pain in my CT junction that limited my arch and upper half tightness for all of my work sets at 275. Still have it now, ive had it before and it usually goes away in a day or so.
275x2x4
[email protected]

•RE SL Leg Press
Plate loaded
120x12x3

Ss/

•Wide pronated grip seated cable row
140x15x2
130x15x2

•Zbar tri pushdown/pulldown
Overhand: 130x20
Underhand: 80x20
 
I did do my optionally day 4 session on Tuesday. I dont think I wouldve been able to force myself to the gym had it not been this day as I was nauseated and felt weak all day. Thought i was coming down with something through class all day but i felt decent enough to go towards the end of the day. Have felt fine the rest of the week.

WU
Swede band pull apart: red band (pro mini) x30x2
Ss/
Hammer curl: 27.5x15x2

•Inc ng db bench
45x30
45x30 -> after 20 i had to pause in extension for 3, 3, 2,2. But i made it. Up 5.

Ss/

GHR
Bwx15x3

•Inc chest supported db row
65x8x4

•Standing calf raise
Bwx12x3

•Trap bar carries
135x10 x70 ft
225x6 x70ft
275x5 x70ft
315x5 x70ft (2)
315 x70 ft -> no pre carry reps.

At least got something done. I am in the process of moving and have a huge course load this week so I haven't made it to the gym since Tuesday. Depending on how quick i get moved out tomorrow i will get a workout in at some point, if not it will wait til Saturday if im lucky and Sunday if not. Oh yah, my cervicothoracic area has been tight ever since whenever that last session was. I still dont have full rotation of my head and extension isnt necessarily painful but it isn't necessarily comfortable either. I need to focus on proper scap positioning when im benching, as I think poor positioning when i get sloppy is what causes this for me from time to time.
 
I dont think that it is specifically benching itself thats jacking my neck, but that some postural issues I have (forward neck, slightly rounded shoulders, imbalance between upper and lower traps) is exposed during bench and when I am not very cognizant of depressing and retracting my scaps and retracting my cervical spine this spot in my upper back/lower neck gets pissed off and tightens up. It has happened several times (5<x<10), although sporadically, over the last 3 years - most of the time with pin pressing. This is only the second time at most it has happened with comp pressing.
 
Do you do band pull aparts before your bench sets? If not you might try adding some in. They will help activate those muscles and remind you to turn them on if you do them right before your set, and will not hurt the weight you can lift at all. Just something to think about.
 
Time for a Thompson Bow tie. It has done wonders for my shoulders, posture, and squat pain (lack of). I actually just ordered one for my wife and she doesn’t lift at all.

I also have to do scapular retractions before I bench.
 
RegisterJr said:
Time for a Thompson Bow tie. It has done wonders for my shoulders, posture, and squat pain (lack of). I actually just ordered one for my wife and she doesn’t lift at all.

I also have to do scapular retractions before I bench.
Click to expand...

Do you have the Formal or Casual one, and do you wear it other than during training to help stretch out the pecs to open you back up, or just during training. If outsideof training how do you feel it helps with normal everyday posture? I can see it benefiting when warming up or lifting, but it also seems like it might turn off the need to activate the muscles of the backside to maintain good posture. So that could be counter productive, yet I think loosening up the pecs is probably the bigger weak point to address in that scenario.

Anyway, can you tell us a little more about how you use it and the benefits you have noticed both while wearing and when not on.
 
Boom stick on my pec inserts definitely fixed me up at the end of the last 3 week wave where I was pressing 3x a week. Pecs were getting tight enough that I couldn’t get my scap fully retracted on the right side and was getting some shoulder pain on that side when pressing.

Just sharing for awareness.
 
Hyde said:
Boom stick on my pec inserts definitely fixed me up at the end of the last 3 week wave where I was pressing 3x a week. Pecs were getting tight enough that I couldn’t get my scap fully retracted on the right side and was getting some shoulder pain on that side when pressing.

Just sharing for awareness.
Click to expand...

I know when I went to jimbuick's he had the ex-wife there and we used it on my legs and it sure did help out but definitely an investment!!!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Do you have the Formal or Casual one, and do you wear it other than during training to help stretch out the pecs to open you back up, or just during training. If outsideof training how do you feel it helps with normal everyday posture? I can see it benefiting when warming up or lifting, but it also seems like it might turn off the need to activate the muscles of the backside to maintain good posture. So that could be counter productive, yet I think loosening up the pecs is probably the bigger weak point to address in that scenario.

Anyway, can you tell us a little more about how you use it and the benefits you have noticed both while wearing and when not on.
Click to expand...

I have the formal but ordered the casual for my wife. I don’t have any real evidence that it helps with posture but while wearing it I can’t help but focus on my posture.

I wear it while benching and squatting. It opens my chest and stretches my shoulders. I notice on squats I don’t have to “peel” my shoulders off the bar and since using it I haven’t had any supraspinatus pain or irritation.

I don’t anymore, but I used to wear it on my drive to and from work, once a day while at my computer, and Sunday’s when ironing my work clothes.
 
RegisterJr said:
I have the formal but ordered the casual for my wife. I don’t have any real evidence that it helps with posture but while wearing it I can’t help but focus on my posture.

I wear it while benching and squatting. It opens my chest and stretches my shoulders. I notice on squats I don’t have to “peel” my shoulders off the bar and since using it I haven’t had any supraspinatus pain or irritation.

I don’t anymore, but I used to wear it on my drive to and from work, once a day while at my computer, and Sunday’s when ironing my work clothes.
Click to expand...

I may have to try the formal one at some point. Would be nice to find someone locally that has one before dropping 60 on it.
 
MrKleen73 said:
I know when I went to jimbuick's he had the ex-wife there and we used it on my legs and it sure did help out but definitely an investment!!!
Click to expand...

You can get a blemished boomstick for about $100 shipped when they have a sale - we use it enough that it was easily worth it compared to a $50 deep tissue massage for an hour once. However, ANYTHING that you can get into the area that lets you use enough pressure would work. Rounded hard things like the edge of a kettlebell handle would be good.
 
Neck has still been sore/tight despite not lifting for the last week. I do have a bow tie and have been wearing it occasionally but I do need to get more consistent with it especially with the amount of sitting I do at school. And in my warmups I do do 2x20 swede pull aparts and i was doing 3x15 TRX rear fly before that but Ill add some more pull aparts throughout training in between sets because more retraction work cant hurt especially when its easily recoverable like those two exercises are.

•DE SQ
Belt less
185x2x||||| |||
Felt good.

•HE DL (415x5x4)
135/185/225/275/315x5
365x5
415x5x@6/6.5/7/7

Mid shin at transition of smooth to knurl. About half the reps were well executed while the other half I ended up nearly straight legging again. None were difficult, but i just need to keep engraining/coding the proper movement pattern.

Random Swede pull apart sets through sq and dead
x15x||

•DE inc db bp
55x12 WU
75x12x3

•monster mini regular pull aparts (ie. not swede style)
2x12

So, I havent trained since last Tuesday like I mentioned above. School has been nuts, I moved, and I have mentally been in a bit of a funk lately so motivation has been pretty low on top of all of that. Hoping today was what I needed to get the ball rolling to get back into the swing of things.
 
Hyde said:
You can get a blemished boomstick for about $100 shipped when they have a sale - we use it enough that it was easily worth it compared to a $50 deep tissue massage for an hour once. However, ANYTHING that you can get into the area that lets you use enough pressure would work. Rounded hard things like the edge of a kettlebell handle would be good.
Click to expand...

I should look into this. I bet i could get my gf to use the boomstick even. The x wife isnt feasible for her to use but she could definitely hold the boomstick up and lean on it digging into the tissue.
 
I hadn’t trained since Wednesday, if it makes you feel any better - sometimes life prompts a deload! Time to get back in the groove
 
So 4-6 inch diameter by 2 ft of pvc pipe capped and filled with concrete would probably be pretty effective as well then right?
 
MrKleen73 said:
So 4-6 inch diameter by 2 ft of pvc pipe capped and filled with concrete would probably be pretty effective as well then right?
Click to expand...

For an X-wife, which you’d use on hams, glutes, erectors, maybe lats.

Boomstick is much lighter, 22lbs. Good for pecs, scapula, traps, calves, quads, biceps.
 
Hyde said:
For an X-wife, which you’d use on hams, glutes, erectors, maybe lats.

Boomstick is much lighter, 22lbs. Good for pecs, scapula, traps, calves, quads, biceps.
Click to expand...

Ah, so more like a 2 foot long 2 inch diameter would probably pretty close in size and weight right?
 
MrKleen73 said:
Ah, so more like a 2 foot long 2 inch diameter would probably pretty close in size and weight right?
Click to expand...

Bingo. It has a round end, like the top third of a tennis ball if you could imagine, with an edge/lip where the rounded end meets the shaft (insert joke).

Basically you can use either the gentle round end to apply pressure, or the edge for more targeted pressure or fit under a sub-scap. And the center of the shaft is lightly knurled so it can break up fascia better if used as a rolling pin with some pressure.
 
Brooke just moved out to New Hampshire with me last week. She got here Friday and I didnt train all weekend as I was hanging out with her and her Mother just kind of traveling/exploring. We made a trip to Maine and I had the best seafood I have ever had. Anyway, got back after it today.

Week 5 day 2

•DE Bp
45/95/135/185x5
215x5
235x5x4

•"HE" Squat (mid bar)
45/95/135/185x5
+ belt
215x3x3

Ssb 5 ct pause squat (watched a duffin video the other day and I think im gonna try to add 2 sets of 3 in after my "heavy" work).
150x3x2 -> 5 ct feels like forever if you dont allow yourself to just sink down and relax. Staying tight in the hole that long was brutal.

•RE Rack Pull from mid shin
Vs doubled Monster Mini
135/185/225x12
275x12
295x12x2

Random Swede pull aparts:
Pro light mini x12x6 sets
 
What is the "HE" squat?
 
MrKleen73 said:
What is the "HE" squat?
Click to expand...

Hyde said:
You’re familiar with He-man I presume?!

Lol he’s using it to denote “Heavy Effort”, ie strength ranges (1-5x1-5)

with D=Dynamic (speed) & R=Repetition (hypertrophy)
Click to expand...

What Hyde said. Sorry, im a lazy ass and abbreviate everything i can lol.
 
Hyde’s Strength Odyssey

That makes sense so many different twist on stuff nowadays. Wasn't sure.
 
Week 5 Day 3

•DE Conv DL
135/185/225/275x5
305x1x9

•HE BP (thumb from edge)
45/95/135/185/215x5
245x2
280x2x4@6/7/6.5/7
[email protected]

I figured out what is irritating my left elbow. Dunno if its what pissed it off in the first place or not but the unrack was pissing it off bad today. Im between notches on the power rack for setting the rack height and I chose to go with the lower one vs fighting to get up over the V-shaped hooks when I unrack. When I grab onto the bar and start to initiate the unrack, which is pretty much all elbow and tricep in this case, the medial aspect of my elbow was getting some pain in it.

•RE SL machine leg press
140x12x3

Ss/

•NG Seated cable row
140x15x2

•Zbar tri pushdown/ext
Ohd: 140x20
Udhd: 80x20

Day 1s technique day and today's pressing both felt weak in the bottom 1/4 of the movement and slow off the chest. Id bet im being lax on my leg drive and lat tightness. Gonna focus on those things the next session and see how it goes.
 
W5d4

Swede PAs
Pro mini x12x2
x30x1

Hammer cur: 30x15x2

neutral grip db incline bp
50x30
50x30

Ghr
Bwx20x2

Ss/

Inc chest supp row
70x8x4

SA rope extension
20x20

Bil rope ext
2 sets x 12 reps

Ss/

Voglepohl row
2 sets of 10

Maybe not the most useful day without the carries, but still better than doing nothing.
 
Definitely better than nothing - things like the high rep GHR and Db Press definitely assist maintaining a foundation of size and capacity without costing much on recovery I have found.
 
Is this your rack? Something you could modify to prevent the elbow pain? Maybe add a mono attachment?
 
Hyde said:
Definitely better than nothing - things like the high rep GHR and Db Press definitely assist maintaining a foundation of size and capacity without costing much on recovery I have found.
Click to expand...

Thats the current goal for that day, so mission accomplished. It had been a while since the last time i had been sore from GHRs. Those things hit me in all the right places.

RegisterJr said:
Is this your rack? Something you could modify to prevent the elbow pain? Maybe add a mono attachment?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately it is not. One day man, one day.
 
Yesterday's lift:

Week 6 day 1

•DE Sq:
45/95x10
135x5
185x2x8 -> these felt good, speedy, and stable. I am happy with my continued comfort with the lift. In 2 weeks I go for another "heavier" technique/DE day (70% i think it is) so that'll be the true test of progress.

•HE Conv DL
135/185/225/275/315x5
365x4
405x3
Mixed grip now - first 2 reps left over right under, second 2 reps opposite (right over left under is my stronger pull).
430x4x4@5/5/6.5/7

•RE Inc Db BP
55x10 Wu
80x10x3

Ss/

•Swede PAs (all the cable stations were being used so i did these in place of rows, no where near the same training effect but I didnt have time to wait around for a station to open up later. Now thinking back I should've done some db rows)
Light mini x15x3

•Fly Myo-set
70lbx14
X4x3
X3

5 breaths rest between every set.
 
Today's training looked fun!!!
 
Quick update from yesterdays lift

W6d2

•DE/technique bp
Warmup
240x5x3@6/6/6

•"HE" Sq
45/95/135x8
185x3
220x3x10 - 30s rest

SSB 5 count pause sq
150x3x2

•rack pull from 3/4 way up shin
Vs doubled monster mini bands
135/225x10
315x15x2 (didnt have time for 3 sets so i just got them all in in 2).

•wide grip cable row (done supersetted with bench warmups)
120x12 WU
160x12x3
 
Hyde said:
How were squats feeling? 10 is a lot of reps on squat for me
Click to expand...

It was 10 sets of 3...i aint about that 10 rep life either man. But, im beginning to become more familiar with the bar placement and getting a little more spring out of the hole with it. If i had to predict, id say that week 8's "test" with ~70% will go well and I'll see where i stand and work up to [email protected] come week 12.
 
Welcome to the log and to AM.

DE = Dynamic Effort
HE = Heavy Effort
RE = Repetition Effort

Ssb = safety squat bar
Db = dumbbell
Inc = incline
Sq = squat
Bp = bench press
DL = deadlift
PAs = band pull aparts

I use a lot of abbreviations so let me know if I missed one you're curious about.
 
W6d4

Swede PA
Monster mini + mini light x30
" " x20

•Hammer curl
30x15x2

•Neut grip db inc bp
55x30
55x30 -> this was a HARD set.

And

Inc chest supp row
75x8x||

Ss/

•GHR
Vs MM x10x3
Bw x15

•Trap bar carries ss/ unil kb carry
All trap carries were followed by kb suitcase carries: 50x35ft left 50x35ft right

135x5 x70ft
225x5 " "
315x5 " "
315x5 " "

Unil tri ext:
Udhd - 20x20 each arm

I am so sick of the trainers at this gym (just a couple of them really), they have no respect for other member's space. During my chest supported rows this trainer had his client doing goblet squats literally a foot and a half from my bench and there was a huge amount of open space. About 5 feet away. Then when I was doing my carries on the turf another trainer had her client doing mountain climbers no more than a foot away from the turf run where I was trying to walk while carrying 315lbs. Also with a lot of open space within 5 feet away. I just dont fugging get it at all.
 
People at my gym LOVE to do their stretching and rolling inches from the turf - it’s like moth to flame. But when we run implements we literally don’t stop unless we’re inches from collision - if people see you, they jump out of the way. If we waited til people got off the turf, we’d never finish an event lol.

“If you play in the road, you’re gonna get hit”
 
jswain34 said:
W6d4

Swede PA
Monster mini + mini light x30
" " x20

•Hammer curl
30x15x2

•Neut grip db inc bp
55x30
55x30 -> this was a HARD set.

And

Inc chest supp row
75x8x||

Ss/

•GHR
Vs MM x10x3
Bw x15

•Trap bar carries ss/ unil kb carry
All trap carries were followed by kb suitcase carries: 50x35ft left 50x35ft right

135x5 x70ft
225x5 " "
315x5 " "
315x5 " "

Unil tri ext:
Udhd - 20x20 each arm

I am so sick of the trainers at this gym (just a couple of them really), they have no respect for other member's space. During my chest supported rows this trainer had his client doing goblet squats literally a foot and a half from my bench and there was a huge amount of open space. About 5 feet away. Then when I was doing my carries on the turf another trainer had her client doing mountain climbers no more than a foot away from the turf run where I was trying to walk while carrying 315lbs. Also with a lot of open space within 5 feet away. I just dont fugging get it at all.
Click to expand...
Thanks, ill have to look into some of those terms. Yea some personal trainers have tunnel vision and dont care about no one but themselves and their client.
 
Just report the trainers to the management and tell them they are putting their clients at risk of injury through careless practices... might actually make a difference.
 
W7d1

DE Mid bar squat
185x2x8 1st 4 no belt last 4 with unlatched belt

HE Conv DL
Lost a little steam on the lift today. I didn't have 4 sets of 3 in me with the first set being @8.5 so I dropped the weight to 425 and did 2 more sets of 3. I taped myself the first set at 425 and my shoulders are at least 2" in front of the bar when im going to initiate the initial push off the floor. Wish i wouldve had a video from last week to see how things looked when i felt good.
135/225/275/315x5
365/405x3
[email protected]
425x3x2

•RE inc db bp
85x8x4

Ss/

•unil seated cable row
110x8
130x8x3

Did 4 sets of 15 Swede pull aparts durikg warmup for squats
 
jswain34 said:
W7d1

DE Mid bar squat
185x2x8 1st 4 no belt last 4 with unlatched belt

HE Conv DL
Lost a little steam on the lift today. I didn't have 4 sets of 3 in me with the first set being @8.5 so I dropped the weight to 425 and did 2 more sets of 3. I taped myself the first set at 425 and my shoulders are at least 2" in front of the bar when im going to initiate the initial push off the floor. Wish i wouldve had a video from last week to see how things looked when i felt good.
135/225/275/315x5
365/405x3
[email protected]
425x3x2

•RE inc db bp
85x8x4

Ss/

•unil seated cable row
110x8
130x8x3

Did 4 sets of 15 Swede pull aparts durikg warmup for squats
Click to expand...
Those are some nice DL numbers, i wish you have a video too lol.
 
Ulfhednar said:
Lol i hope people dont do that, but im sure some do.
Click to expand...

Some do it and don't even know they are doing it. IE the weight n the bar is correct but the other 75% of the ROM that is missing from the rep wasn't there.

I had a buddy who insisted over and over again that he could do 265x15, this was when I was pushing 275x10, and he kept telling me that he was catching up to me. So I was pretty excited when he said he was going to lift with me. I thought it would be pretty cool to lift with someone as strong or stronger than me for a bit.

Then he got on the bench... at the lowest point of his ROM he might have been doing the equivalent a 5 board press. Really nothing more than lockouts. I asked him what he was doing and he told me that this is how you isolate the chest in a bench press. I told him you want to isolate your chest do a pec fly... You will get more out of the movement if you do it full rom. So I dropped him back to full ROM and I think he got 225 3-4 times. He didn't want to drop that low but I wanted him at 185-205 so he could get some quality reps in.

It was 2 years later he tagged me in a video where he was hitting 265x8 full ROM and said this is how you are supposed to bench 265 right Chris, not just the top 6 inches. We had a good laugh, but honestly he ended up thanking me and looking much better once he started doing his compound lifts as compound instead of trying to handicap them into being isolation work...
 
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