Returning from injury

brianthebard

So I've been mouthing off on the fitness forums for a while and its about time I started a training log. Was out for almost 10 months after hurting my back last year, but it seems to finally have turned the corner to be properly on the mend now. My best lifts last year were 70kgx1 bench, 120kgx2 squat and 150kgx1 deadlift. (vid to follow of this one). I'm currently 94-5kg in tee and jeans, six foot, and 23.

I started back to the gym a couple of months ago but was still limited in what I could do by my back, but now I think the only things that bother it are barbell rows and maybe deadlifts, although I've done some without too much trouble. Anyways I'll start by putting up fridays session and we'll go from there.

(From memory)

lying bench row (new thing hadn't tried out before)
bar x 8,
40kg x8,
50kgx8.

Squats.
warm up 40kgx8, 50kgx6 (I think), 80kgx20.

trap bar deadlifts.
60kgx6, x3, x6.

pull down abs.
31.25 (plates are weird in the cable machine) x8,x10,x10.
face pulls.
23.something x10x3.

Dunno what to call the row exactly, its a bench with a hole to put your face and the bar is racked underneath. It was nice cause there was no stress on the lower back, a slightly shortened rom though.

Squats were the main event friday, was fairly good, felt more solid than usual which I put down to not doing too much beforehand and a different sharper bar which my hands kept grip on much better. I started the 20 squats a few weeks ago with 60 and worked up, would like to get bodyweight in 4-6 weeks but will have to listen to my back. It was fairly tight straight after the squats but by shower time had settled down.

Did the trap bar deads because we were in a different room in the gym and I'd never used them, was pretty knackered beforehand and even more so afterwards. Nice enough exercise though.

brianthebard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIfGZ-iWWKA

150kg from last year. Apologies about terrible soundtrack.

Also I should mention my goals. I just want to get through the year without injuring myself again. I think if I can do that and train three times a week then I'll see some good strength and size gains, I'm already quite pleased with the weights I've been lifting the last month, I don't think I lost too much strength over the ten months for some reason.

FunkZ

Finally your logging well done man!

I'll have a keen eye on your journal and all the best.

Nice squats too!!

brianthebard

Thanks for the kind words dude.

BossArky

Good to see you are getting over the injury.

I'll be reading! :pac:

brianthebard

Edit: thanks boss.


Today;

Bench.
Warm up with bar, then 60x4, 65x3, 70x1 (fail second), 70x3.

Squats, 40xwarm up, 60x6, 70x6, 85x20.

Pulldown machine, 70x8,8,6.

Bench was ok, the one thing that bugs me about the gym in uni is there's no simple, good, flat bench. They're all overcomplicated, overwide, and different heights, or at least they feel to be. Todays was a new one, definitely a lot lower, which made things different. The bar was different too, so I think that's why I failed on the third set. Hopefully that'll work itself out in a week or two.

I forgot my cons so did squats in my socks. It wasn't too bad, a little different though. The first two groups of 5 were very quick, perhaps too much because the last 3 or 4 were some of the slowest squats I've ever done (last rep on the bench was really slow too, maybe it was just the day that was in it). That was aggravated by banging into a bar holder on the back of the rack a few times, kind of distracted me. Not sure if I'll keep going with the 20 reps to bodyweight, or to bring my belt in for the next while, or even drop them altogether. The lower back was very tight afterwards.
All in all not too bad though for a 5kg increase, but I did feel sick for ages, and eventually threw up soon after the pulldown machine, hence no assistance or rehab work. They have some nice machines in this gym, allows each arm to work independently, liked it more than a cable pulldown anyways. I think I threw up because of a dodgy sausage or two I had for breakfast, unfortunate to say the least. Felt a little off the rest of the day but didn't blow chunks again, that's something at least.

brianthebard

Today;

DB rows, with straps;
30x10, 32.5x10x2.

rolling db extension;*
7.5x6, 10x6x2.

good mornings;
40x8x3.

farmers walk;
trap bar+ 40kg; 30ftx2, +60kg; 30ftx1, 15ftx2, +80kg; 10ftx1.

calf raise machine; 100kgx10x3.

*What I thought were rolling db extensions, was actually doing them a bit wrong though, it was more of a db press/skullcrusher all in one movement.

Bit of a mixed bag today, went easy enough. Farmers walk was fun, just went up and down the weights room with the trap bar, there's about a 15-18ft space to run up and down. Really fried my grip, was fun to do. Next time though I'll drop it at the end, turn around and deadlift the weight again, or turn in a bigger circle.
Had a bit of trouble with a member of staff today, I'm actually not supposed to use that weight room cause its for people on "elite scholarships" :rolleyes: but I'm looking into sorting something out so I can use it over the summer.

brianthebard

Today;

horizontal row machine;
60kgx8x3.

incline db bench;
26kg bells, 3 sets of 4.

squats;
50x6, 70x6, 87.5x13 (wussed out)

face pulls;
21.25x 3 sets of 8.

pull down abs.
31.25 x 3 sets of ??-sore afterwards.

Disappointed with todays session. training partner was awol so went alone, had to use different bar and rack to last week which sucks, this one was so much smoother, no grip. the leg strength was there, all 13 reps felt ok, but I banged off the safeties a couple of times, and my wrists were killing me. So I wussed out. stopid cause looking back I really feel like I had the strength for all 20. Will have to wait until friday now. Also developed a stabbing pain in my elbow on the forearm side after benching, annoying. Not constant but occasionally getting at me, hopefully nothing serious.

brianthebard

Today;

Bench;
warm up with bar, 60x5, 65x3, 70x3, 72.5x2 (fail on third)

DB row with straps;
28x10, 32x8x2.

sopir sekrit lunges;
24kg 'bells, x4,x3,x3.

face pulls; 23.something x10x2.

pulldown abs;
33x25(?-stopid cable machine), x10x2.

Nothing particularly exciting today, annoyed that I failed on the last rep, first two felt solid. No leg drive for the last one though, might have made the difference. Noticed that malteaser is doing pull downs with twice the weight I am, and her squatting has been extra solid the last while it seems, yet more proof that i need to keep these up. thinking about what new programme I should be doing soon, need to change things up and follow a proper plan, but also need to mind the back. Decisions decisions. Any suggestions welcome.

Forgot to mention, the lunges gave me mild ass cramps. In a good way.

kevpants

I completely missed this log!!

Those 20 rep squat numbers are gooooood man. But they burn you out quick. I'd probably only do them every now and again.

If you want to mind your back I'd make ab work PR's a big goal. Really important.

Probably a good idea on the trap bar pulls. Build yourself up to regular deadlifting.

Good luck!

brianthebard

Woo comments! :P

Thanks dude I'm happy with how the 20 squats has gone so far. Really want to hit bodyweight before dropping though, thinking of just doing them once a week from now on. When did you start using a belt with them?
Unfortunately can't use the trap bar atm, not allowed use the facilities that's in. Hopefully I'll be given the green light soon. Gym bureaucracy nonsense. :rolleyes:

kevpants

I didn't own a belt at the time!

I'd wear it if I was doing them now. I made a decision to go beltless for ages but I had a healthy back at the time. In your case I'd say belt up!

brianthebard

Belt it is!

brianthebard

Today;

shoulder press; warm up, 40kgx5, then push press; 45x5x2.

Squats; 45 warm up, 60x6, (belt, then) 80x6, 87.5x20.

Rolling db extensions; 10kg x10x3.

face pulls 23 something x 3 sets.

ab pull downs; 33.something x10x3.

Just realised I didn't do any lat work today. It was all about the squats. Felt pretty good, chalked up to make sure it was solid, tried to tuck my elbows as much as possible. Belt was nice, when I get a bit more used to it I think it will help a lot. Felt like I still had a few squats left in me at the end which is always good. Felt very naucous though, must try eating earlier before the gym and taking a proper rest afterwards. Nothing else very exciting to report.

BossArky

brianthebard wrote: »

Noticed that malteaser is doing pull downs with twice the weight I am

How are you doing the pull downs?

Kneeling?
Standing?
Feet in front or behind of hips (if standing?)
Rope vs Metal Grip?
Arms outstretched or behind neck?

There are a good few variations and the leverage/weight moved depends on the setup. It is probably tough to compare numbers directly unless everyone is doing exactly the same thing.

brianthebard

Standing, rope grip, feet behind me, hands in front of me. Pretty much as Kev showed in his vid a while ago. I'm fairly sure that's how Malteaser does them as well. Regardless of different techniques its definitely something I need to work on a lot in the coming while. Thanks for the input.

jayoo

:pac: Man im pretty sure i saw you in the gym today, i walked in as you were on your last set of squats. Looked fecking intense.

Im not sure if ye were still there but you may have seen me fall over when i lowered the dumbells onto my knees to quick, smooth;)

DM-BM

BossArky wrote: »

It is probably tough to compare numbers directly unless everyone is doing exactly the same thing.

On exactly the same machine, once pulleys are involved you may not be moving the actual amount of weight on the stack e.g 4 10kg plates on the stack may not require 40kg of force to move it, depending on the way the pulleys are set up.

brianthebard

jayoo wrote: »

:pac: Man im pretty sure i saw you in the gym today, i walked in as you were on your last set of squats. Looked fecking intense.

Im not sure if ye were still there but you may have seen me fall over when i lowered the dumbells onto my knees to quick, smooth;)

Damn didn't see you. I guess you'll know if it was me or not cause I've never seen anyone else in there with a black powerlifting belt, if that's what you saw that's me. Say hi next time, or something cryptic to try and freak my training partner out. :pac:

jayoo

Yup it was you, some good squating, nice and deep.

next time i will jump up on your back and you can squat me, ya pretty sure that will freak him out a tad:pac:

kevpants

Don't compare stacks weights from what other people are doing, every stack weighs a different amount. For example on one stack in TF I do pull-throughs with 85kg and on another I do 45kg and they are equally difficult.

brianthebard

Today;

Bench; warmup then 60x5,65x3,70x3,75x1, (fail second)

assisted chins; bw (95kg?)-19x3, -26x3x2.

db rows; 26kgx16, x8,x8.

Squats; 50x6, 60x4, 80x3, (belt on then) 100x3, 120x3, 130x1, 135x1 (spotter touched )

pulldown abs, 33.xx x10, 36x10x2.

tricep pulldown with rope for the lolz (three sets)

Training partner got it into his head that he wanted to do max squats today so that's what we did. He got 80kgx1, at a bodyweight of 71/72, which is pretty good considering he's only squatting about 6 weeks. I was happy with my numbers too, finding it hard to not count the 135, he put his fingers lightly on my side, not counting it as a pb though. Would be dangerous precedent. think my ass rises before anything else, could be a problem in the future. Unfortunately no vids, kingfisher don't allow cameras, I asked before about it but didn't get a real answer why (perhaps some guys were perving on stepper girls? dunno) Think there could be a few kilos more there though, especially if I work on the form a bit more. I think 92.5x20 should be handy enough friday or saturday too, now that I've worked up to a max. Finally, looks like I lost very little strength over the past ten months, considering I've only been back training 10 weeks and squatting for 5 or 6 or those. Did lose some size but hopefully in time that'll come back. decent day all in all.

kevpants

Good stuff man! 135kg was my PR this time last year so maybe you'll be up on a platform sooner rather than later.

Tried your lunges the other night, kept falling over. I'm obviously doing them wrong. Maybe you should vid them, obviously you can't in your gym ,but I know I'm not getting it.

brianthebard

Thanks man, I did start to play with dates in my head, if there was something on around September I might be tempted to get some experience for next year. I'll video them as soon as possible, but yeah it is hard to stay stable with them. Maybe lower the weight a little for now, and try to make the foot slide back from the long lunge position smoother? Do you fall over even when not using any weight?

jayoo

I have seen some polish lads with cameras taking videos, and the guys working there didnt say a word.

some good squating aswell

itsallaboutheL

i missed this dam log as well!

good stuff man

brianthebard

jayoo wrote: »

I have seen some polish lads with cameras taking videos, and the guys working there didnt say a word.

some good squating aswell

Cool, I'll see what I can do next week. Hoping to do 92.5x20 tomorrow, and bodyweight next week, will definitely want to video that if I get it!

jayoo

i got 80 for 20 few days ago, was nasty nasty:pac:
100kg for 20 would be a beautiful thing .

Malteaser!

If i were you I wouldn't ask bout the camera, just take it in. It probably is their policy not to allow people use them but one that's not actually enforced however when people ask they're sorta obliged to say no.

brianthebard wrote: »

Thanks man, I did start to play with dates in my head, if there was something on around September I might be tempted to get some experience for next year.

The only thing that's on in September is the World Single Lift Champs but unfortunately you woulda have had to qualify at the start of the year. So you're sorta stuck with hanging on till the single championships or the national championships, early next year!!

BossArky

Malteaser! wrote: »

If i were you I wouldn't ask bout the camera, just take it in. It probably is their policy not to allow people use them but one that's not actually enforced however when people ask they're sorta obliged to say no.

+1. Don't ask them, just be discreet.

I was once reprimanded for having someone video me in the swimming pool. Lol. I was trying to video my front crawl after reading "total immersion". Does sound kind of pervy when I write it like that

Nice squat!

brianthebard

Malteaser! wrote: »

If i were you I wouldn't ask bout the camera, just take it in. It probably is their policy not to allow people use them but one that's not actually enforced however when people ask they're sorta obliged to say no.

The only thing that's on in September is the World Single Lift Champs but unfortunately you woulda have had to qualify at the start of the year. So you're sorta stuck with hanging on till the single championships or the national championships, early next year!!

They have signs on the door on the way in though saying no cameras so its kind of hard to pretend you don't know. I think I'll sneak into the other section of the gym when videoing, they have better bars and racks there as well. Hoping the guy in charge of that place will get back to us soon. That's ok about waiting until next year, probably better for me in the long run, would've just liked to get some experience before the first proper comp next year, assuming all goes well between now and then, fingers, toes, spinal discs crossed!

Also, thanks boss! Felt great to lift heavier than I ever have before on the squat, real confidence boost.

brianthebard

Today;
Shoulder press; warm up with bar, 40x5, 50x0 push press 50x4x2.

Squat; 50x6, 60x6, 90x20(!)

Machine row; 3 sets of 8, didn't check the weight*

Face pulls, 26, 3x10

pull down abs, 36x3 sets, various reps (16 was the most, in the last set)

Training partner is mad on going for 1rm's atm, wants to see how much progress we've made. Pressing has always been a weird one for me though, I could rep away with 45, but for some reason I struggle hugely with 50? Same with the bench, 70 feels grand, 75 is a fail. Its odd that I can deal with a weight so close to fail level relatively easy, so maybe its something I'm doing wrong? Lately I'm starting to think I just need to concentrate on the gunz for a while, see if that would help. Believe it or not direct bi and tri work is something I'm often neglectful of, unlike 99% of the rest of the gym. Maybe they're on to something....

Sooooo glad I didn't go for 92.5, was still a little drained after the max attempt the other day. Hard, very hard, but doable. Still need to work on using the belt, make it count, I'm not pressing my belly out on all reps as much as I could.

*Not entirely sure what weight was on the row machine, 70 or 80, was so bollixed after the squats it took a while to recover. Also, man I wish I had some wrist wraps. When I get the set up right its fine, but most of the time there's a bit too much pressure on them.
Got to start adding in shoulder dislocates and glute ham bridges beforehand also, think that could help the squatting a bit.

Not sure how the next week or so will go, have an exam tuesday and other deadlines to look after. Then home for a few days, possibly test deadlift max, and then go try 5/3/1 for the summer. I know I'm jumping on the bandwagon here, but looking at the percentages you train with, it makes sense for my back that I use this system.

Malteaser!

brianthebard wrote: »

Pressing has always been a weird one for me though, I could rep away with 45, but for some reason I struggle hugely with 50? Same with the bench, 70 feels grand, 75 is a fail. Its odd that I can deal with a weight so close to fail level relatively easy, so maybe its something I'm doing wrong? Lately I'm starting to think I just need to concentrate on the gunz for a while, see if that would help. Believe it or not direct bi and tri work is something I'm often neglectful of, unlike 99% of the rest of the gym. Maybe they're on to something....

I'm the EXACT same! For months I was benching 35kg for numerous reps but I'd fail with 37.5kg! I just pushed the bench hard and often (Smolov Jnr) and it came up really quickly!! I still have the same problem with military pressing, seriously quick drop off rate with them!!

brianthebard

Actually I did something like that before, using weight I knew I could handle for lots of reps, and did about 60-70 reps each time I benched for about 3-4 weeks. It helped a bit but not a huge amount. Was thinking of using 3x3 for the next few weeks and then machine presses afterwards for hypertrophy, might be worthwhile?

Malteaser!

brianthebard wrote: »

Actually I did something like that before, using weight I knew I could handle for lots of reps, and did about 60-70 reps each time I benched for about 3-4 weeks. It helped a bit but not a huge amount. Was thinking of using 3x3 for the next few weeks and then machine presses afterwards for hypertrophy, might be worthwhile?

Woah, well I wasn't using that many reps but I was benching four times a week. Very briefly, this is how it was structured:

weight x sets x reps

Day 1: 70kg x 6 x 6
Day 2: 75kg x 7 x 5
Day 3: 80kg x 8 x 4
Day 4: 85kg x 10 x 2

You add between 2.5kg - 5kg per day per week for three weeks, though I found I was actually able to extend it to a fourth week and by the end I managed 40kg x 10 x 2. (I had failed with 37.5kg before I started the program).

brianthebard

Excellent stuff, I might try that before going with the 5/3/1. I think the 20 squats have done a hella lot for my conditioning, any day I go into the gym and don't do them I feel like I can do ****loads, whereas before I'd be wrecked after a push pull squat/deadlift session. I really really really want to see my press numbers start moving up, squat and deadlift have always taken care of themselves, its about time I gave the upper body some love! :P thanks for the suggestion.

jayoo

Buddy how do you find facepulls?

Malteaser!

brianthebard wrote: »

Excellent stuff, I might try that before going with the 5/3/1. I think the 20 squats have done a hella lot for my conditioning, any day I go into the gym and don't do them I feel like I can do ****loads, whereas before I'd be wrecked after a push pull squat/deadlift session. I really really really want to see my press numbers start moving up, squat and deadlift have always taken care of themselves, its about time I gave the upper body some love! :P thanks for the suggestion.

Good plan batman!!

As for assistance work with it, it's deffo gonna be to too much to go hell for leather every day, in fact the program itself suggests it be kept to a minimum. So the days that I wasn't going mad, I'd do ab pulldowns and other core work, then on the other days I'd do dumbbell presses and incline pressing or close grip benching and paused benches.

brianthebard

jayoo wrote: »

Buddy how do you find facepulls?

They're great!

Malteaser! wrote: »

Good plan batman!!

As for assistance work with it, it's deffo gonna be to too much to go hell for leather every day, in fact the program itself suggests it be kept to a minimum. So the days that I wasn't going mad, I'd do ab pulldowns and other core work, then on the other days I'd do dumbbell presses and incline pressing or close grip benching and paused benches.

Very good, I'll have a look through your log again to get an idea it all looks and maybe start doing a lot more benching for a while. :P

Hanley

Dunno if you've ever heard it or not, but if you want to bench more (weight) then bench more (often)!!

Specialisation programs tend to work so well because you focus all your energy and recovery on one lift!

itsallaboutheL

Malteaser! wrote: »

Woah, well I wasn't using that many reps but I was benching four times a week. Very briefly, this is how it was structured:

weight x sets x reps

Day 1: 70kg x 6 x 6
Day 2: 75kg x 7 x 5
Day 3: 80kg x 8 x 4
Day 4: 85kg x 10 x 2

You add between 2.5kg - 5kg per day per week for three weeks, though I found I was actually able to extend it to a fourth week and by the end I managed 40kg x 10 x 2. (I had failed with 37.5kg before I started the program).

Loving it, im sooo doing this!!

brianthebard

Today;

Bench; warm up with bar, 60x6, 65x6,6,6,6,6,4(fail)

Deadlift; 80x6, 100x6, 120x4, *belt* 140x2, 160x1, 170x0

pull down abs, 33kgx3 sets (aimed for about 20 reps)

triceps pulldowns for the lol

Probably start with bench a bit heavier than I should have, will perhaps use 65 next time around or even drop it to 62.5. Deadlifts were pretty ok, lost my bottle with 170, it came off the floor but felt too slow and wasn't sure my back would be ok. Its pretty stiff now but not that much sorer than the last day I deadlifted or last weeks 1rm squats. Little disappointed I only added 10kg to last years pb, considering I was using chalk and a belt this time round. I figured the squatting would've worked it up higher, I guess my lower back is still quite weak. Just had a contrast shower to see if I could get some blood flowing, but my erectors still feel angry with me. I took some pics of my back before and after the shower, might post one or two if they are clear.

I've been thinking about deadlift form a lot lately. I noticed that most people in their videos have their knees over the bar, but its possible for me to keep my shins almost completely perpendicular to the bar and still reach down and grap it. I'm not sure if that's odd, or a bad idea, but it seems to keep my lower back from hyperextending at the bottom of the lift, which I can't stop if my knees are over the bar. Makes my upper back round a bit more though I think, at least it felt that way today. I'm thinking about whether I should make the switch to sumo dl's, it would be the same stance or a little wide than my squats so I'd be fairly used to it even if I don't deadlift too often, and it would shorten my rom significantly. Also think I might be able to keep my lower back in a better position.

DM-BM

brianthebard wrote: »

Little disappointed I only added 10kg to last years pb, considering I was using chalk and a belt this time round.

You've not lifted for 10 months and are disappointed with a 10kg pb after a few weeks back lifting?:eek:

Don't get too greedy like.

I know that if I stoped for 10 months, I doubt I'd be back to where I left off after a few weeks, nevermind venturing into new territory.

brianthebard

I know, but with the belt and chalk that alone should've been worth the extra 10kg, plus I guess since I found I hadn't lost much strength when I went back that I would've liked to have seen some big gains, especially with the amount of squatting I've been doing. I guess my diet hasn't been up to scratch either though so you're right, I should be happy with what I got. And I am, it was a pretty easy lift, I guess I just always want more!

BossArky

brianthebard wrote: »

I'm currently 94-5kg in tee and jeans, six foot, and 23.

Are you looking to bulk up or or decrease bodyweight? Or, is that something you are not concerned with if the lifts are increasing?

brianthebard

Well I expect to see some muscle gain over the coming months. Not hugely concerned about weight loss, but it would help if my lifting belt fitted better!

BossArky

Lol, was just wondering if you are gonna do a Hanley or a Drifter :pac:

brianthebard

Yesterday (from memory so bear with me)

Bench 65x6rx3s

Incline bench machine 40x8, 50x6x2.

Assisted chin ups, bw-19x4, bw-26x4x2.

Row machine 70x8x3.

Forward lunge/reverse lunge combo thing 24kg bells, 4,4,3 (grip really gone at this stage on right hand)

face pulls 26x10x2, then face pulls with scap retraction, 16x10x2.

Pulldown abs, 36x3 sets, high reps (didn't count them)

Think that was it, nothing else of consequence anyways. We were waiting for the squat rack for ages but it wasn't going to happen. Lunges were a good idea anyways, just need to bring straps from now on so grip isn't the first thing to go. I like the forward/reverse mix, could be a couple of things done with it. scap retraction face pulls are cool, might be a good idea to hold it at the top position as well. Incline machine was way harder than I expected it to be, the chair position is almost like a seated shoulder press though, its not something I've worked on much before. Was out last night for a class party, so while I ate some good food I don't think it could've been called an ideal recovery night, unless red wine is the new post workout supp of choice.

A note on how I felt after the deadlifts; sore. Back was very tight but just muscular so acceptable. Even had really sore lats which I never get from deadlifting, don't think we did anything else for the back that day so it must have been them. Interesting.

Hanley

BossArky wrote: »

Lol, was just wondering if you are gonna do a Hanley or a Drifter :pac:

Hahahahahahaha sneaky!!

Although a Hanley could now also be considered a Drifter as I'm in the process of dropping some weight....

brianthebard

Today;

row machine 40x10, 60x10, 70x8x2.

bench; 65x3,3,3,3.

box squat; 60x2x5, 65x2x5, 100x5.

ez curls; bar+20, 3x8

seated powercleans; 8kg dbs 3x8

500m row for time, 1.50

I had initially wanted to do as malteaser suggested with the bench but then realised that because of everything going on this week and then going home at the weekend I was all over the shop. Decided instead to just bench every day this week, without following her plan :rolleyes: . Had meant to do a few more sets but the squat rack freed up and we were over there before anyone else could. Gym was crazy busy today. Box squats were just to give training partner a way of getting the right depth every time, nothing exciting there. I used the same weight on the bar for most of the sets as him and tried to come up as fast as possible, seemed to do the trick. tried some glute ham raises (well drops) off the lat pulldown machine, damn near tore my hamstrings off they seized up so hard trying to hold me in place. Interesting feeling. Rows were just something different, going to start with 1 500m at the end of every workout for the next week or two, then add in 2, then 3, etc and try to build it up like that. Not much else to it, purposely easy day.

brianthebard

Today went something like this;

shoulder press warm up, 40x6.
jerk(sort of) 40x6.
push press 40x6.

lying bench row; 52.5x6x3.

trap bar deadlift; (assuming bar is 20kg?)
60x5x2, 100x5.
snatch grip deadlift;
60x6x2.
Sumos;
60x6.

shoulder death/delts triad/whatever you're calling them yourself;
2.5kgx15, 2.5x10.

Calf raise machine;
50x10x3.

roman chair leg raises/reverse crunches;
3 sets of 8.

Went home for a few days after all the stress of exam, essays and proposals for the last month or so. Completely vegged out. Training this week will be erratic, have to go home again at the weekend. Just messed around with shoulder press, was knackered after the "jerks" from holding the bar in the air so long. Must switch to dumbbell or seated or some other variation for shoulders for the next while, or even just drop them and do bench and shoulder/bench assistance work.

Tried out a few different ways of deadlifting, trap bar will be great whenever I have it, snatch grip is a useful substitute, a means of using less weight and making the lift harder. Although 60kg was pretty light for these, will try 80kg next time. Sumos were just to try them out again, see what position they put my back in. Seemed fine, just need to start stretching groin muscles more often, could be holding back the pull around midway.

shoulder thing ****ing killed, think I needed to start doing something like this. Rows felt really hard, think I only used 40kg last time (will check now), again more variations needed. Not sure when I'll start 5/3/1 or if I should wait another month, will talk to my training partner about this next week.