To Infinity.... and Beyond!

I found myself thinking about the toes again last night during deadlifts. my first set was a little painful but by the end I was nearly pain free and T levels through the roof. I wanted to clean the damn thing and throw it over my head.

bench
95 x 15
135 x 10
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 3

tri push downs
4 sets

db curls
3 sets

hammer curls
3 sets


...drive to xfit....

bench - isometric with 3-4second pause at bottom
95 x 4
135 x 4
184 x 3
205 x 3

wod
10 toes to bar
6 x 225lb deadlift
25 air squats
100m sprint
100m walk back
5 rounds
time was around 13-14minutes. I totally didn't pay attention. on the last set I added 20lbs and went with 245lb deads. I think I would have been fine doing the whole wod at 275lbs though for the 30 reps to be honest. feels good to be moving weight again. I'm not pain free, but improving substantially.
 
so last night a buddy/coach friend of mine got me to think about curling my big toes while squatting to help engage the posterior chain better.it went really well and was the most i've squatted almost pain free since like June.

Maybe just mental but tried the big toe thing today and back did feel better after squats. Was a little weird at first and had to concentrate on doing it but overall felt like it made a difference.
 
me too, a lot of concentration. I felt like 135lbs became as challenging as 225 in terms of how focused I was, but all in all I am feeling my back release on a daily basis now. its hard to explain but I actually feel looser finally. for the first time this year I feel like i'm truly on the mend and progressing.
 
bench
105 x 15
145 x 10
185 x 5
215 x 6
225 x 3

lateral raises
4 sets

db curls
4 sets

dips
3 sets of 20

hang power snatch
95lbs x 10 x 3 sets

hang power clean and push press
95 x 10
115 x 10
135 x 10

notes
pretty happy about the light oly work I added in. its crazy how snatch is so much harder than it was 6 months ago, but i'm out of practice. clean and jerk is improving though.
 
had to pound out a quick one before going on a mandate with the 7r old.

normal warm up
lateral raises, forward raises, bicep curls.
i notice that starting each bench day with a couple sets of these movements help the shoulders and elbows big time

bench
15 x 110lbs
10 x 150lbs
5 x 190lbs
4 x 220lbs
2 x 230lbs

press
95lbs x 10

push press
115lbs x 10
135lbs x 5
155lbs x 5
175lbs x 3
185lbs x 1
195lbs x 1
205lbs x 0 x 2 attempts
 
squats
bar x 10
95 x 10
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 2

front squats
135 x 5r x 3s

notes
squats stopped at 195 because it was getting painful. the upside, this is like 30lbs higher than where the weighted stopped from pain a week or two ago. well on my way again. i checked my log, last time I squatted 195 was on 7/20/16 so this is progress i think.
 
Just a little hypertrophy day before the weekend.

warm up
Lateral raises x 20
Forward raises x 20
Db curls x 20

bench
95 x, 20
135 x 20
155 x 10
175 x 10
185 x 10
195 x 8 ran out of gas

dB curls
3 sets of 10

tri cable pull downs
3 sets of 10

21's
3 sets

decline cable flies
3 sets of 10

dips
3x15@bodyweight
 
no, totally a time issue. I had to rush to a seminar that went from 5-9pm on monday. then on Tuesday I had to drive down to portland for an expo, did business stuff till 9pm again. Wednesday back up, dinner date with my seven year old, home at about 9:30 again. last week was just slammed. should be back at it hard today though. i feel like I've been off for weeks.
 
so as much as this may sound like just pure live in my moms basement, afraid of the dark, whimper in the corner... i have to admit that squats and deads right now are mentally draining. every first rep takes a lot of "here comes the pain" preparation. after the first rep goes well, the next 4 are easy-ish but i'm still always expecting that first rep to really kill. i think it wears me out.

bench
95 x 15
135 x 5
185 x 5
210 x 6
225 x 5
225 x 4

squats
95 x 10
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 3s x 5r

notes
yeah i was cramped for time again but going up to a 3x5 at 195 is definitely rehab progress. only a little twinge in the back after wards but really it felt so good I think 225 was doable. still, i wanted linear progress so I took 195 today and I'll aim for 200 or 205 3x5 next session. I'm happy. I didn't get the shooting pain all the way down through my foot this time. doing much much better. but definitely the mental prep for it was draining.

honestly when I'm in the gym grinding out 195 for 5 reps its humbling knowing I used to have 3 plates on there. but that's OK. i'm rebuilding and considering 5 reps at 135 was enough to make me nauseous a few months ago, I feel pretty good about this.

Warsheeper said:
So PR time after the rest?
Click to expand...
tied my 225 x 5 on bench and fairly easily. so I think maybe there is some progress happening there.
very close.

weight
177ish
 
warm up
laterals, forward raises, db curls

strict press - standing
bar x 20
95 x 10
115 x 5
135 x 3s x 5r

push press
155 x 5
175 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 3
185 x 3, 1

db curls
3 sets

hammer curls
3 sets

dips
bw x 10
+25lbs x 10
+45lbs x 3s x 10r

tri pull downs
3 sets

21's
2 sets

hang power clean and press
135lbs x 3s x 5r

hang power snatch
95lbs x 3s x 10r

notes
felt pretty good. slight twinge during the oly stuff. the weights there are light but its just about getting back into shape now.
 
was feeling stiff in the SI before I even went in but decided to try anyways.

squats
95 x 10
135 x 5
175 x 5
200 x 1 (ouch)
135 x 1 (ouch)

so I called it quits there. instead of trying to force out reps at lighter weight, what i learned this summer is that rest heals me better.
 
friday was a great bench press breakthrough day for me. this was friday 10/14/16

warm up
shoulder laterals, 15 @ 20lbs
shoulder forward raises, 15 @ 25lbs
db curls, 15 @ 30lbs

db bench
45 x 10
55 x 10
65 x 10

bench
95 x 15
135 x 5
185 x 5
215 x 7 (PR)
230 x 5 (PR)

db curls
3 sets

21's
2 sets

notes
I need to find more time for actually productive arm work. but the bench is improving. recently hit 225 x 5 for a first time, and this week 230 x 5 for the firs time. pretty happy about that.
 
Nice rep PRs!

Productive arm time is something that's been on my mind. So many programs out there talk about arms growing proportionally, and too much dedicated arm time is just vanity. But then you see pro body builders doing a billion sets of arms in their routines.
 
press
bar x 20
95 x 10
115 x 10
125 x 3 x 5

note
back wasn't feeling it today

laterals
3 sets

forward shoulder raises
3 sets

hand stand pushups
3 sets

tri cable pull downs
3 sets

superset
db curls
3 sets

tri push downs
3 sets

super set
db hammer curls
3 sets
+ drop sets 8 x 60lbs, 10 x 50lbs, 10 x 40lbs, 10 x 30lbs.

ez bar curls
3 sets


Famine said:
Nice rep PRs!

Productive arm time is something that's been on my mind. So many programs out there talk about arms growing proportionally, and too much dedicated arm time is just vanity. But then you see pro body builders doing a billion sets of arms in their routines.
Click to expand...

yeah I agree with that mostly. i'm not sure if my extra work has paid of that much. I just haven't been able to do my oly stuff really lately with the back issues so i think the arms and shoulders suffer.
 
bench
bar x 15
95 x 10
135 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5
220 x 7 (reps PR)
225 x 5

db curls
3 sets

drove to xfit...

back squats
95 x 10
135 x 5 <little ouch>
165 x 1 <big ouch>

then rested and did 3 sets of 10 x 70lbs goblet squats

195 x 1 <smaller ouch>

wod
18min emotm
max effort row 1 minute
then 15 wall balls 1 minute
then 50 double unders 1 minute
then repeat 6 times.

weight
174.5 with shoes etc

notes
bench was good. squats were bad, but with more warming up they got better, so i'm not too worried about falling backwards there. was my first WOD in weeks though and that got my T levels moving. felt so good to work so hard.
 
bench eccentric pause
95 x 10
135 x 10
185 x 5

with 5 second pause at the bottom
201 x 1
215 x 1
225 x 1
230 x 1
230 x 1

wod
3 rounds
10 x man makers
10 x 24" step ups
10 x split squats
all with 2 x 35lb dbs. took about 11 minutes

man makers... never heard of them before this wod. the hardest part of the whole workout was the shoulders. it hit the shoulders hard.

Invalid Link Removed
 
Those man makers look like a horrible waste of energy, lol, says the guy who'd rather just pick something up and set it down.

Invalid Link Removed
 
I can't believe how crazy busy my life got this year. So far I've put over 25,000 miles on my car since december. the large gaps of time between going to the gym feel like i'm constantly taking mini deloads and breaks but maybe its helping my bench, lol.
 
bench
95 x 15
135 x 10
175 x 1
210 x 1
230 x 4r x 2s
185 x 10
135 x 20

pistols
3 sets of 10
+20lbs x 10
+35lbs x 10
+44lbs x 10
+35lbs x 2sets of 10

wod
karen
150 wallballs for time
9min ish.

about 2minutes slower than it used to take me, lol.

i'm beat up today.
 
I used to only be able to do pistols in 'competition'. I think the mental fortitude was stronger. now i'm getting to where they are pretty easy. when I was 16 I broke my left ankle racing BMX and never gained full flexibility. When I do pistols I can do my right side perfect, but my left heel always came off the ground due to no ankle mobility.

well lately after doing a LOT of pistols in place of squats, i have realized my heel is staying firmly planted through the movement. so maybe these are good for me and improving my flexibility and strength on the left side finally.

I notice that when I have a good pistol session my SI area back pain feels WAY better. its hard to explain, but it feels somehow stronger. so far its the only rehab movement that seems to do anything at all...
 
deads
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 10
275 x 5
275 x 5
275 x 2 (at this point the SI was sore/tired)


bench
95 x 10
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
260 x 1
265 x 1 (PR)

wod
7 min amrap
3 x clean and jerk (135lbs)
3 x toes to bar
6 x
6 x
9 x
9 x
12 x
etc...

got to 75 reps. or 15 clean and jerks.

note
weight was about 174-175lbs when I got my 265bench PR so I'm pretty happy about that. yesterday I decided to make a big push for some weight gain as well. I've held on to a 10% ish bodyfat for 3 years so this is the first time in that long i've decided to let the abs go. but I need to rebuild my legs and I wouldn't mind growing the shoulders and bench again too.
 
I'm pretty sure my last bench PR was over a year ago! I just checked and my first post here on AM was 9/21/15 and I already had posted bench PR at 260.

although I weighed 183 then and 174 last night.
 
db curls
3 sets

db shrugs
3 sets

db rows
3 sets

weighted dips
bw x 20
+25 x 15
+45 x 10
+70 x 10r x 3s

bb curls
3 sets

bb shrugs - pulled from above the knee
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 10
275 x 10
315 x 3s x 8r
225 x 10 (snatch grip)
135 x 3s x 10 (snatch grip)

tri pull downs
3 sets

weighted chin ups
+25lbs x 3 sets x 8reps

weight
178 ish
 
that's pretty awesome that you can do weight pistol squats. i've only ever tried them a handful of times.
 
thanks guys! my pistols are getting way better. I'm surprised I can do them on the left side without my heal coming off the ground now. must be improving ankle mobility!

I forgot to log friday's workout:

bench
95 x 15
135 x 10
175 x 5
200 x 5
225 x 5 (getting easier to hit this now)
235 x 4
240 x 5

dips
3 x 20

tri extensions
3 sets

cable tri pull downs
3 sets

notes
so the 240 x 5 should be a PR but i'm hesitant to list it as such. there's a guy at my gym who can pull over 600lbs and I've seen him bench 405 for reps... he's a strong dude. He offered me a spot on my 240 and I took it happily. my 240 x 5 felt easier than my 225 by 5 and so I kinda think he took some weight off the bar for each rep. NOW, he claims he did no such thing and I have nothing but respect for him so I'll post it but I'll not consider it a PR just yet.
 
yesterday:

pistols
bw x 10
+10lbs x 3s x 10r
+25lbs x 3s x 10r
+35lbs x 10r
bw x 20

squat press (its like a weird hybrid machine that's more squat like than a normal leg press)
135 x 20
225 x 25
275 x 15
315 x 12
365 x 10
315 x 10
225 x 10

back squats
tried at 135 but was too sore in the lower back.

notes
kind of getting grossed out with trying to add weight. I constantly feel over full.
 
bench
95 x 20
155 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 3s 5r

tri pull downs
3 sets

tri push downs
3 sets

db bench
10 x 60lbs
10 x 70lbs
10 x 80lbs

wod
10 pullups
20 push ups
30 squats
run200m

15 pull ups
30 pushups
45 squats
run 400m

20 pull ups
40 push ups
60 squats
600m run

25 pull ups
50 pushups
75 squats

time: 24:45
(it was a 25minute amrap that would have kept going up).

notes
the last rep on the bench was spotted. rest were pretty solid.

weight
179.
 
no time to lift but we had a little wod and OH squat practice.

wod
4k meter for time: 15:31 = 1:56/vg 500m sprint time. not too bad I guess considering I started at like 1:45/500.

oh squat position holds
5 reps with 30 second pause
3-5 reps with a 10-15 second pause.

no real weight. only empty bar to 95lbs.

weight
179 without shoes.
 
Dustin07 said:
oh squat position holds
5 reps with 30 second pause


no real weight. only empty bar to 95lbs.
Click to expand...

that's still a good period of time to hold just the bar
 
bench
95 x 20
155 x 5
195 x 5
215 x 5
230 x 3s x 5r

deadlifts
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 5
300 x 5

weight
178 with shoes on

notes
huge bench day for me, and the first 300lb pull since March-ish. I think I could have run 10 reps on the deads but I didn't want to push my luck. overall felt like a great day.
 
day after big pull, my lower back is super tight but I dont think its at all related to the deadlifts. my leg (sciatica) feels totally fine. I think its this stupid mattress which is getting replaced next week. last night was the first time in as long as i can remember where I was able to stay in bed for a full 8hrs. in fact, it was about 11. I desperately needed that. lately its been like 4 1/2 to 6hrs tops (just busy life. I haven't even had time to watch tv).

so the fact that my back is only sore when i'm in bed too long makes me feel hopeful that things are really moving the right direction again. I need to order a new belt though, I lost my old one. I haven't lifted with a belt since about march-may. if my pulls are hitting 315+ again then its time to start belting up soon.
 
We have a new mattress, about 2 yrs, and it is one of those memory foams. Don't like it at all. Back hurts every time I sleep to long in it. Thinking we might switch at some time to just a regular firm type.
 
dapack said:
We have a new mattress, about 2 yrs, and it is one of those memory foams. Don't like it at all. Back hurts every time I sleep to long in it. Thinking we might switch at some time to just a regular firm type.
Click to expand...

I noticed that this weekend with my current one. First night in a long time that I could sleep for a solid 8+hrs and my back was really sore after.
 
one too many rest days between bench sessions.

bench
115 x 20
155 x 5
200 x 5
225 x 5
235 x 4
195 x 10
185 x 10
155 x 15

I always do those high rep drop sets when I miss my goal, lol

db curls
3 sets

db hammer curls
3 sets

ez bar curls
3 sets

tri pull downs
3 sets

tri cable push downs
3 sets

note
new bed arrived last night. I'll unpack it and probably use it thursday or friday. I thought about squatting tonight but back was too tight. did a few reps with empty barbell and just said no.
 
deadlift
135 x 20
225 x 3s x 5
275 x 1

note
was more or less just testing the back and working on form. I wasn't happy with either so I stopped there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top