Traps and Tricks and Such

Quads and ITB foam rolling.


Coan Bench Week 3, heavier day

82.5kg x 8
82.5kg x 8

close grip bench

72.5kg x 8
72.5kg x 8

incline bench
62.5kg x 8
62.5kg x 8

Squat

warm up sets

125kg x 8
125kg x 8
125kg x 8
125kg x 8
125kg x 8
125kg x 8

Few curls
18kg DBs x 10
18kg DBs x 8
18kg DBs x 8

Few seated calf lifts
40kg x 12
70kg x 5
40kg x 10
40kg x something


Another attempt at foam rolling. Too ****ed to do it properly really though.

I need to stop going 3-4 days without some kind of training. The goal is to get a morning, before-work routine going. That'd sort my life out so good. Might even go in tomorrow morning and deadlift or something.

Coan Bench Week 3 lighter day

70kg x 10
70kg x 10

Deadlift
warm up sets

140kg x 4
180kg x 3
205kg x 3

160kg x 3
160kg x 3
160kg x 3
160kg x 3

So delighted and surprised my deadlift's still up where it was. Feels like a while since I've pulled. I think I'm gonna just keep training it fairly infrequently but going reasonably heavy when I do. Very glad I can keep focussing on squatting without worrying about much DL regression.
Even more surprised since I've been eating below maintenance all the while.

Chins
5

Seated Calf Press
40kg x 12
40kg x 10
40kg x 10
30kg x 12
Just as an experiment I'm going to only do these (i.e. not the other incline-ish calf press I always did) and see what it's like.

Had to leave it there 'cause gym was closing. Would've liked to get some shrugs done. Ah well.

Going to weigh myself later. I'll do it in the morning as well I suppose actually. I'll be a bit disappointed if I'm not a couple of KG under 100 now. Then again, I didn't even know exactly what weight I was at when I started eating less. Woops.

2 hour BJJ class.


I suppose I wouldn't mind training fairly differently to be a little less useless at this. Wouldn't know where to begin, guess it's actual time spent rolling I'd need in any case. Want to have both a hyoooge PL total and not somehow not be total **** at BJJ though!

Tried the next day of Coan Bench yesterday for some reason. Without remembering I'd done the previous day just the... previous day. It didn't go well. Doing it again in a day or two.

Elbows felt wrecked, did some curls.
17.5kg DBs x 10 x 3

Shrugs
32.5kg DBs x 12 x 3
22.5kg DBs x 10 x 2

Dips
6
4

Seated Calf Press
40kg x 12 x 4

Lat pulldown
8 plates x 10
6 plates x 10 x 3



Lots of foam rolling. Did something to make my knee go mental at the start during foam rolling. Gotta avoid rolling on the actual patella loads by accident next time...

Also did some single leg BW squats. Probably 20 or 30 each leg.

Forget what else. Mehhhh.

2hrs jiu jitsu on monday.

Another 2hrs this evening, and I squeezed in some ****e in the gym afterward:

Bench
Coan Bench Week 4 lighter day
warm ups
70kg x 10
70kg x 11

Not much trouble. Wonder if having creatine in me for the first time in a while made the difference. Or the 4 days off lifting.


Chins
6
3
3

6 consecutive chins for only 2nd time ever, I think. Now if I could just get those 2nd and 3rd sets a bit stronger. 666 would be the best.

Glute Ham Raises/Exts/whatever they're called
like 20-something
another 20-something

Fair bit of a burn after those. I do ****-all direct hamstring//glute/erectors stuff usually, no surprise.

Seated Calf press

Lat pulldown
8 plates x 3
Yikes. Bit wrecked from chins and BJJ there maybe.
5 plates x 10
5 plates x 10

Gym closing.


In other news, various parts of my neck, shoulders, general upper back area have the most disgusting ache since monday. Stiffest neck ever from rolling on my head in class, not to mention getting choked the whole time I suppose. Life is pain.
Going to ring a sports massage dude tomorrow because the knee is ridiculous again tonight.

Oh, still defecitin'. Got some whey back in yesterday so I can more easily be good about the protein intake now at least.

Missed out, sort of bailed on BJJ tonight. Itch/anxiety to squat got too much, heh.

Squat
50kg x 7
80kg x 7
100kg x 5

belt*
130kg x 8
130kg x 8
130kg x 8
130kg x 8

*So I've gone two notches in on this in as many months. It feels marginally tighter right now but I guess I'm definitely losing something around the middle. I expect it'll continue to feel less tight going forward

Again, left it ridic late to get in the gym tonight and this was all I'd time for. These miniature sessions could be the way forward for me though. If I started getting them in during the mornings before work, like. Wouldn't have to miss and BJJ classes. Wouldn't conflict with college in the evenings and could even start making it to muay thai classes too maybe. So the epic struggle to get out of bed at a reasonable hour in the morning wears on.

I was planning on DOMsifying every fibre of my being today as a christmas present to myself but true to form I didn't leave myself enough time as the gym was closing earlier than I thought.
Still got a good session in anyway.

warm up





Coan Bench Week 6, heavier day
Bench
warm up sets

95kg x 5
95kg x 5

Close grip bench

85kg x 5
85kg x 5

Both of those actually a KG or 2 above prescribed, of course I managed not to work at prescribed weight on the incline then...

Incline bench
70kg x 5
70kg x 5


Squat

warm up sets

155kg x 5
155kg x 5
155kg x 5
155kg x 5
155kg x 5
155kg x 5

Annoying how I'm still really only working at weights similar to during Base Smolov back in August. Probably squatting deeper than before and on less calories p/day, still kind of a downer though.

Was talking to Joe about it and reckon I'd like to do a comp, maybe the one in Feb. I'll do terrible for my weight class but whatever.

Not sure whether to continue trying to get weight down (i.e. lose fat) from now 'til then or should I try to properly get stronger.
Any sort of bulk would send me back over 100kg again so probably a bad idea in terms of weight divs. Of course ideally I'd like to stay around 100kg but drastically, drastically improve body comp (and relative strength) but that seems sort of harder to me.
I'd say I'll try keeping on some kind of cut. Fuck you, christmas.

Few bits and pieces on the way in the post. Didn't fork out just yet for weightlifting shoes, soon though, real soon. A few more euros needed first.
I didn't go near actual knee wraps yet 'cause it seems like you need a training partner to help with those on/off. Doin' it all solo, see.

Dry 5 Liquid Chalk - 250ml Dry 5 Liquid Chalk - 250ml 1
High Density 60cm Foam Roller High Density 60cm Foam Roller 1
Strengthshop Odin wrist wraps Length24" Strengthshop Odin wrist wraps 1
Strengthshop Double Ply 'Thor' Knee Sleeves SizeL - 36-39cm Strengthshop Double Ply 'Thor' Knee Sleeves 1
Ironmind Strong Enough Straps Ironmind Strong Enough Straps 1
Strengthshop Neoprene Elbow Sleeves SizeL - 28-32cm Strengthshop Neoprene Elbow Sleeves 1


I'll probably not be close to filling out those elbow sleeves. Psyched to start messing with all this stuff though. Imagine, having chalk of my own. Gonna feel like some kind of high flyin' millionaire.


Finally tracked my calories in the last day or so. Should've known it but I wouldn't be surprised if I had actually practically been eating a maintenance amount of calories 'til now without realising. Would explain the extreme slowness with which cutting seems to be happening.

Warm up (leg and hip swings, leg stretches, back stretches, shoulder swings, arm and elbow swings, neck stuff)

Foam rollin' (Quads and ITBs)

Coan Bench, Week 7, lighter day
75kg x 10
75kg x 10

Right pec is getting pretty close to a strain or something. Should be grand by next bench day though.

Deadlift
60kg x 7
100kg x 4
140kg x 4
belt
180kg x 3
205kg x 3
205kg x 1
205kg x F

140kg x 5
140kg x 5

The fail was pretty much in the set along with the x 1, save for a couple of seconds between reps. Failed it there anyway. I think that means I did 1 rep worse than the last time I deadlifted. Which is grand, again, considering the cut and lack of pulling and all.

Chins
6 (real close to getting the 7th all the way up!)
4
4

Seated Calf Press + stretching

DB shrugs (could barely do these today for whatever reason, reps had crap ROM)
34kg DBs x 12
34kg DBs x 10
25kg DB x 12
...might have done another set on the 25's, dunno. Probably not.

Running on a treadmill
1:1 intervals, incline+faster for work periods
12 minutes or so, something under 200kcals
Can't run so good these days. There was a time when I'd be doing inclined work intervals on 18 and 19 kmph or whatever on those things, jesus. Probably wasn't smart anyway.

Weighed myself back at my parents' tonight. 97kg, might be less in the morning even. I'd say I was 102kg or something when I started eating less so that's some encouraging progress I reckon.


Got my Strengthshop gear, too. The double ply knee sleeves seem great, they're tight as shit actually. Single ply neoprene elbow sleeves don't seem too sturdy or supportive but my arms don't exactly have the seams bulging on them or anything.
Wrist wraps seem mad tough. Foam roller is a bit firmer than the one I use in the gym too so that'll be lots of fun anyway. The safety word is banana.

I joined Fitocracy there. I know it's silly as **** but something about getting an "achievement unlocked" and "Levelled up" message after logging a workout is going to release happy chemicals in my brain every time.

Warm up


Coan Bench Week 8, heavier day

warm up sets

Bench
102.5kg x 2
102.5kg x 2

They were both supposed to be x3... Downer. The 3rd rep just wasn't ever there at all. Big fail.

Close grip bench
90kg x 3
90kg x 3

Incline bench
80kg x 3
80kg x 3


Squat
warm ups

130kg x 8
130kg x 8
130kg x 8
130kg x 8

Those felt a bit harder than they were supposed to, without a belt. Huh.

Looking back to the last time I did it it seems I managed to fail 8 and 9 by being an idiot and getting the wrong weight on the bar two weeks in a row.

Coan Bench Week 9, heavier day

warm up sets

Bench
105kg x 1 + F
105kg x 1 + F

Failed the second rep of both sets that were supposed to be x 3. This particular Coan Bench cycle's officially a disaster anyway.

Close grip bench
95kg x 3
92.5kg x 3
(meant to be 94kg both)

Incline bench
85kg x 3
85kg x 3


Squat
60kg x 8
100kg x 5
130kg x 4
150kg x 4
170kg x 3
Knee sleeves on
190kg x 3
190kg x 3
190kg x 3
190kg x 3
190kg x 3

Light spotter touch (wasn't actually needed...) for the final 2 or 3 reps of those, unfortunately.

Chins
6
4
4
4

Long breaks between.

Seated Calf Press

DB Shrugs with straps
50kg DBs x 9
45kg DBs x 10
45kg DBs x 10
45kg DBs x 8
45kg DBs x 8

Forget how many sets really.

2hr jiu jitsu class.

Pick up so many niggling annoyances doing this. Hope my neck's recovery time is adaptable.
Good class though, most enjoyment yet.

Bench

warm up sets

90kg x 4
90kg x 4
90kg x 4
90kg x 3

80kg x 4
80kg x 5

Was hoping I'd be good for a 5x5 on 90kg but no such luck. And no, I'm not doing Coan Bench now I guess. Fail city, like.
I'm going to probably keep trying 5x5 days for a while at weights as taxing as possible and just keep it really consistent and frequent.

Chins
6
4
3
3

Seated Calf Press

Running on a treadmill
Inclined intervals (getting fast-ish with the work intervals). Then flat intervals.
I forgot how long, maybe 18 mins. Like 320kcals (allegedly) and maybe 2.9km.
I didn't realise how much I had sweat (like, tonnes) and then remembered one of the girls working in the gym had wiped down the treadmill next to me for another girl about to use it. So basically it's pretty likely I got sweat everywhere all over everyone there and now I'm pretty mortified. I'm so sorry, gym staff. Towel was in my bag, but, I'll just ****ing wear the thing next time.