Sets of faahve

Alf Veedersane · 09-02-2017 2:01pm

bluewolf wrote: »

How do you not have gangrene in your wrists without them

I don't really feel much discomfort in my wrists without wraps. Well, I can't say I've finished a squat set and thought about wrist pain. A lot of the time, the reason I use wraps is probably more psychological for heavy sets, i.e. it feels stronger and more secure.

But I don't doubt they mitigate discomfort so give them a go and see how they feel, NC!

Mr. CooL ICE · 09-02-2017 2:14pm

Will do.

Do you guys go thumb over/under?

Alf Veedersane · 09-02-2017 2:28pm

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

Will do.

Do you guys go thumb over/under?

Under. I have tried over but just didn't feel as comfortable because I don't think I felt as if it was as secure.

But it works for plenty. Think Rippetoe suggests it.

09-02-2017 2:35pm

I never even tried over
I think
Lwme squat tonight and get back to you on that
Lol

09-02-2017 11:34pm

The answer is definitely thumb under

Mr. CooL ICE · 10-02-2017 10:05am

February 10. Bench day:

Bench (TnG):
20kg x 10
40kg x 8
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5

One arm DB row:
20kg x 8
20kg x 8
20kg x 8

Hang clean:
20kg x 10

Gym was empty. Owner left me alone for a few minutes to go to the shop so I decided to go nuts. Hadn't a clue what I was doing tbh.

Tricep pulldown:
29kg plate x 20

Facepull:
29kg plate x 25

Day was mostly arsing around cos doing something is better than doing nothing.

I predominantly bench paused. While this is a good way of not getting bad habits for a competition, one major drawback is that when I do go up in weight, the weight of a bar completely throws me. I.e. I recently PR'd for 90kg. I had never held 90kg in my hands before and by god, it felt scary. If I had been TnG benching too, I probably would have benched 90-100kg before this and would have at least known what the bar felt like. So no paused for a while.

I am thinking of giving the Texas Method a go. A friend of mine made a serious amount of progress using it over 3 months and I'm jealous. I want some form of squat-centric program and it almost fits the bill. It's just I haven't a clue how to do power cleans. Apparently, they can be replaced by RDLs. I did some empty bar hang cleans to see if it felt somewhat natural and, well, no. I felt foolish and would never have tried this if people could see me.

Anyway, TM requires you to know your 5x5RM. I just benched until it got uncomfortably heavy for reps and did 5x5 there. I've previous done 3x5 paused, but I feel the post-peak fatigue right now. When starting the program, I'll drop back to 65kg just to progress slowly.

Alf Veedersane · 10-02-2017 10:41am

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

It's just I haven't a clue how to do power cleans. Apparently, they can be replaced by RDLs

RDLs are a good option because glute/hamstring strength will always help address weak points in deadlift. Usually back or glutes/hams are the limiting factor, depending how and where form breaks down.

Alan Thrall loved the TM. Said his 5RM went from 140 to 180. Had never even gone near 180 for a single. Lots of food and sleep needed because its tough going maxing out once a week.

Mr. CooL ICE · 12-02-2017 10:13pm

February 12. Learning day

A certain kind boardsie offered to teach me the power clean so my approach to the Texas Method may actually not be YNFTP.

Hang clean:
20kg for about 6-7 sets of 3-5 in an uncoordinated mess
30kg for about 3 sets of 3 somewhat coordinated

Power clean:
30kg for about 5 sets of 3
35kg for about 3 sets of 3

Some of these were more like cleans than power cleans. I won't lie. I thought I was clarence for a few reps, hence moving up to 35kg when I wasn't supposed to. Livin on da edge

LB squat:
20kg x 5
50kg x 5
70kg x 5
90kg x 3
100kg x 3
110kg x 2
115kg x 1

Plan was just to go up as heavy as I could feel comfortable going. 115 was 2.5kg less than my opener so happy I got that far. Had more in the tank but felt a pinch in my left knee, so left it at that. Did very little warming up/mobility before this so should have been expected.

Also, the squat racks in this gym annoyed me. They had the fixed pins so when unracking the bar, I always hit the bar off the pins above. Threw me off a good bit.

Wide grip pullups:
x 5
x 5
x 5

Mr. CooL ICE · 14-02-2017 10:42am

February 14. Deadlift coaching

Always curious about sumo deadlifting, so got some coaching today. I've heard before that it's slow off the floor, but quick once it's halfway up the shins.

Once you do it, it feels fcukin weird. The setup just feels uncomfortable. My hips and knees just feel weird and trying to pull myself into position makes everything worse. When beginning the pull, my thought process goes something like "no, I don't like sumo, this sucks, this is horrible, why am I doing this... oh, bar is at the top already???".

Sumo deadlift:
40kg x 5
70kg x 3
110kg x 3
140kg x 1 for maybe 10 singles, can't remember which

I had a tendency to shrug the bar up, which meant bending the elbows, which is something I'm guilty of doing for conventional. Was told to emphasis more on tight lats than scapular retraction. Chest out and imagine squeezing oranges into my armpits. Got better as I went on.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
40kg x 5
45kg x 5

Some arsing around involves seeing where my 5RM is at before starting the Texas Method. 45kg x 5 was easy, but I'll use it as a starting point cos, well the slightest increments in weight for OHPing suck.

Mr. CooL ICE · 16-02-2017 10:42am

February 16

LB squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
110kg x 3

Bench, touch and go:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
75kg x 5

60kg and 70kg felt wayyy heavier than they should have. I could easily do 70kg x 5 paused, but touch and go today was a struggle. I must still have post meet fatigue.

Pullups, wide angle:
x 8
x 8
x 8

Glute-ham raises:
x 5
x 5
x 5

Finally over my fear of GHRs. No more cramping of the legs. All I'm thinking while doing these is "toes forward toes forward toes forward toes forward toes forward, done".

Power clean stuff:
20kg hang clean x 3
40kg hang clean x 3
40kg hang clean x 3
40kg power clean, starting from hang clean position* x 3
40kg power clean, starting from hang clean position x 3
40kg power clean, starting from hang clean position x 3
40kg power clean, starting from hang clean position x 3
40kg power clean, starting from hang clean position x 3
40kg power clean, starting from hang clean position x 3

*still not comfortable starting from the floor, so I deadlift the bar to hang clean position, do my bracing and lower it to the floor before power cleaning it up. They were all over the place. Shrugging, but no ankles. Ankles, but no shrugging. Ankles and shrugging but catching with elbows too low. Just did some triples until I felt my cues finally came together for 3 in a row. Still probably looked awful, but practise practise practise! At least they were all power cleans and not actual cleans.

Mr. CooL ICE · 17-02-2017 10:44am

February 17

Sumo deadlift:
50kg x 5
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
130kg x 5

Leg raise:
x 12
x 12
x 12

Reverse hyper:
50kg x 8
50kg x 8
50kg x 8

Facepull:
29kg plate x 15

Tricep pushdown:
29kg plate x 20

Went in for more sumo practise, followed by some arsing around with accessories. For sumo, I just wanted to practise sets of 5 as earlier in the week, I was doing singles, so was used to setting up, doing the lift, and then dropping. 130kg for 5 reps seemed fine and controlled.

Therefore, TM started next week. Starting weights will be as follows:
Squat 5x5 90kg, 1x5 100kg
Bench 5x5 65kg, 1x5 70kg
Deadlift 1x5 130kg
Power clean 5x3 40kg
OHP 5x5 40kg, 1x5 45kg

All are conservative weights

Mr. CooL ICE · 20-02-2017 11:53am

February 20th. Volume day:

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 2
90kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 5

Couldn't get in the groove with these until the last 2-3 sets. Didn't feel right and I wasn't sure why. During warmup, trainer pointed out some butt wink above parallel so had to throw in some extra warmups to get it right, but it never felt right.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 2
65kg x 5
65kg x 5
65kg x 5
65kg x 5
65kg x 5

These felt weak. 1-2 months ago and I would have gotten annoyed at how easy this weight is while doing paused. Just have to suck it up.

Power clean:
20kg x 5 (hang clean)
30kg x 5 (hang clean)
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 4

All were deadlifted up and set up from hang clean position. Last set had an extra something that was crap and not really a clean so it didn't count, but I'm still logging it anyway.

Felt like an absolute disaster today.

Mr. CooL ICE · 22-02-2017 10:31am

February 22nd. Recovery day

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 5

Had watched a few Ripp/SS-related videos after Mondays session to figure out what I was doing wrong with my mental cues and think I figured it out. All sets today felt comfortable, but my elbows are in bits. Must address that next. Will play around with grip width.

OHP:
20kg x 10
32.5kg x 5
32.5kg x 5
32.5kg x 5

Piece of piss.

Glute-ham raise:
x 7
x 4
x 12

Forgot the toes forward cue in 7th rep, cue cramping of my legs. Managed to get 4 in the next set and had to stop. Then just finished up with some back extensions. Will tackle another day.

Pullup
x 10
x 10
x 9.5

In and out of the gym in ~50 mins, including warmup and mobility. Graaand.

Mr. CooL ICE · 24-02-2017 9:55am

February 24. Heavy day

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
90kg x 2
100kg x 5

Not really heavy. Just light enough that I can still practise LB. 4th rep had some forward lean. Main thing was that I widened my grip to relieve the elbow pain, but doing so made me realise my upper back wasn't as tight as it could be. Bar was more resting on my hands than resting on my delts so that has now been fixed and I squatted elbow pain free. Success.

Bench:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5

Realised why my bench has been feeling week AF since moving away from paused. I haven't been pinning my shoulders down. I'm used to bracing to prepare for the pause but somehow missed this cue when going TNG. 70kg actually felt easy again rather than laboured.

Deadlift:
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 5

Still not used to doing reps with sumo. I breath at the top for some reps but breath at the bottom for all of them. Not sure why. Still just concentrating on remembering positioning and cues so reps take longer to do.

Really feeling tiredness in parts of my hips I never felt it before. The switch to wide stance LB and sumo is definitely feels like it's doing its intended job.

Mr. CooL ICE · 27-02-2017 10:10am

February 27. Volume day:

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
90kg x 1
95kg x 5
95kg x 5
95kg x 5
95kg x 5
95kg x 5

Form felt better, but some elbow pain crept in. Think I had the bar set lower than I should, which negated my recent adjustments.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5

Power clean:
20kg x 3
30kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3

These feel better. My plan was to stay at 40kg until I'm happy with my form. After first set, I thought I was gonna go up in weight next week, but my 3rd and 4th sets were sloppy, probably due to tiredness. Just not shrugging or using ankles. 5th set, I got more aggressive and they felt great. Maybe just one more week at 40kg before I go up

Graaand day.

Mr. CooL ICE · 01-03-2017 10:13am

March 1. Recovery day

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
80kg x 5

Elbow pain flared up while warming up. Gave thumbless grip a go for the first time and it felt fine. Damage was done

Bench:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5

Easy weight felt easy. Lots of rest time walking around the place, sticking my thumb in behind my elbow for myofascial release. Helped a bit.

Back raise:
x 10 (red band)
x 10 (red band)
x 10 (red band)

Chinup:
x 10
x 10
x 6

Ages since doing chins, as I usually do pullups cos they're harder. Some form of bicep work can be good for elbow tendonitis. I assumed I'd be crap at the because it had been so long, but 10x bodyweight seemed easy.

Straight home and iced the elbow for a few minutes and took some ibuprofen. Have a rolling ball on my desk so will use that throughout the day.

Mr. CooL ICE · 03-03-2017 11:59am

March 3. Heavy day

Squat:
20kg x 5
20kg toes up x 5
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt and wristwraps*
100kg x 2
105kg x 5

Tried wristwraps to see if it helped the elbow. Don't think they did. On the other hand, I may have started grabbing the bar tightly with the wristwraps on. Not sure. Might try again next week.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
45kg x 5

Deadlift:
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 2
135kg x 5

135 x 5 was easy. During warmups, there were a few reps where I didn't sink my hips down and ended up pulling conv style with a wide stance. Sorted it out come work set. Holy crap, my hams feel it.

Hammer curls:
7.5kg x 20
7.5kg x 20
7.5kg x 20

Some high rep curls for elbow rehab. Meant to do them before squats, but forgot. I got instant relief after about 5 reps. Will do these every squat day. Need to invest in tank tops now.

'Heavy' weights are still not too heavy. Means days like this aren't taxing and good practise. That will change in the coming weeks.

Dtp1979 · 04-03-2017 10:08am

What program are you currently doing?

Mr. CooL ICE · 04-03-2017 10:41am

Texas Method

Mr. CooL ICE · 06-03-2017 11:04am

February 6. Volume day

Usual stretching with added 7.5kg hammer curls to warm up the elbows.

Squat:
20kg x 10
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 5
100kg x 5
100kg x 5
100kg x 5
100kg x 5

3rd set was shakey as hell and a grind. Form just wasn't there. Took an extra minute of rest to gather myself so I could try recall what I was doing wrong. Got back under the bar and just concentrated on bracing extra hard and being aggressive on the ascent and the 4th and 5th sets were so much easier. Yet another lightbulb moment.

Most importantly of all, my elbow held up.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5

These killed me.

Power clean:
20kg x 3 (hang clean)
30kg x 3 (hang clean)
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 1

Form still not good. Did the extra one at the end for my head, and set up from floor properly. I'll stick with 40kg for one more week.

Tiring day.

Mr. CooL ICE · 08-03-2017 9:56am

March 8th. Recovery day

Shoulder/elbow prehab:
Dumbbell pec stretch 15s x 3
8kg hammer curl x 20
Red band pullapart x 20

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 2
85kg x 5
85kg x 5

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
35kg x 5
35kg x 5

Back extension:
x 5
Red band x 10
Red band x 10
Red band x 10

Chinup:
x 10
x 10
x 6

Facepull:
29kg plate x 15

Graaand day. Added in facepulls cos facepulls

Mr. CooL ICE · 10-03-2017 10:29am

March 10th. Heavy day

Extra band pullaparts and some gun pumping for warmups

Squat:
20kg x 5
20kg toes up x 8
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 5
110kg x 5

I think this is a new 5RM. And it didn't feel like a 5RM. Which means I must be getting stronger and/or low bar rocks.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
75kg x 5

Deadlift:
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 3
140kg x 5

Hammer curls:
7.5kg x 20

Facepulls:
29kg plate x 20

Feel strong and elbow doesn't hurt. Yahoo!

Mr. CooL ICE · 13-03-2017 11:02am

March 3. Volume day

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
102.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 5
102.5kg x 5

3rd and 4th sets were sloppy. Remembered my issue with holding upper back tension. Thought of nothing on the 5th set except keeping upper back tension for every rep and it was the easiest set of the 5.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 1
42.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5

Power clean:
20kg x 5 (hang clean)
30kg x 3 (hang clean)
40kg x 1
45kg x 3
45kg x 3
45kg x 3
45kg x 3
45kg x 3

Despite having a crap night's sleep, today was fine. Just seemed like I was in the gym forever. Probably cos I stopped to chat to someone who was at the Brandon Lilly seminar which resulted in my being there longer.

Mr. CooL ICE · 15-03-2017 9:54am

March 15th. Recovery day

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 2
85kg x 5
85kg x 5

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5

Back extension:
x 5
Red band x 10
Red band x 10
Red band x 10

Chinup:
x 10
x 8
x 5

Squats were easy. Bench felt heavier than it should. Back extension was easy. Chinups felt awful. Overall, meh.

Alf Veedersane · 15-03-2017 10:01am

It's hard to not feel like those recovery days are lose-lose.

If they feel great, well so they should. It's light.

If they don't feel great, wtf is wrong? These are light!

Mr. CooL ICE · 17-03-2017 10:58am

March 17th. Heavy day

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
* knee sleeves *
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 5
110kg x 2
115kg x 5

Was in two minds between going up to 112.5 or 115kg, but my new found mentality of 'not being a pussy' under any circumstances meant it was 115kg today. Thought of nothing but back tension throughout and reps 1-4 were solid. Rep 5, I leaned forward a bit, but sure, I'll take it. new 5RM.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 5

Bit of a grind for last rep, but otherwise fine.

Deadlift:
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 5
145kg x 5

Felt fine. However, I video'd myself and my form looks poor enough. Hips weren't set low enough and rose an inch or two before the bar and my back wasn't really that straight or chest any way vertical. It was more like a dodgy conventional deadlift from a wide stance than sumo. Next week, I'll spend more time on warmups and videoing them to get it right and might drop back, depending on how it goes.

I mightn't be capable of eradicating snakes from any country, but I can move a slightly heavier barbell than before so yay.

Mr. CooL ICE · 20-03-2017 9:56am

March 20. Volume day:

Squat:
20kg toes up x 6
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 2
105kg x 5
105kg x 5
105kg x 5
105kg x 5
105kg x 5

First 3 sets were all over the shop. Usual culprit is upper back tension but I was concentrating on that, so what was this? Remembered that I did some upper body mobility, but no warmups. So took a few minutes rest before 4th set to do band pullaparts and shoulder dislocates and low and behold, the bar instantly felt lighter when I unracked it.

Remember kids: Always warm up your upper back before low bar squats.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5

Still feels heavier than it should. Gonna have to suck it up, I guess.

Power clean:
20kg x 5 (hang clean)
30kg x 4 (hang clean)
40kg x 3
45kg x 3
45kg x 3
45kg x 3
45kg x 3
45kg x 3

Power cleans were all over the place. Setup seemed fine but I kept catching it in an OHP position, rather than a front squat position. Should probably have backed down to 40kg when I realised I couldn't get my sh1t together.

Weird day. Had spent 2.5 hours queuing outside, but not getting into gamercon on Saturday, followed by eating not nearly enough for the rest of the day. I felt a bit weak all round which was reflected by the sheer amount of sweat pouring out of me. Can't have it good every day.

Mr. CooL ICE · 22-03-2017 10:29am

March 22. Recovery day

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 2
85kg x 5
85kg x 5

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
37.5kg x 5
37.5kg x 5
37.5kg x 5

Back raise:
x 5
Red band x 12
Red band x 12
Red band x 12

Chinup:
x 5
x 8
x7

Facepulls:
29kg plate x 20
29kg plate x 20

Chinups were weak AF today for some reason. Did some facepulls as penance for my sins. Aside from that, graaand day.

Mr. CooL ICE · 24-03-2017 1:53pm

March 24. Heavy day

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
* knee sleeves *
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 5
110kg x 3
120kg x 5

New 5RM, +5kg. And it was fine. Like, 3 reps all flew up while 4th and 5th reps were a little slow, but I kept form.

this program.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
77.5kg x 5

New 5RM, +2.5kg. Last rep was a struggle but aside from that, wasn't as bad as I expected. Still hate benching.

Deadlift:
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 3
140kg x 2
150kg x 5

New 5RM, +5kg. Concentrated more on setup. Essentially pushed my knees out wide further which enabled me to put my hips closer to the bar and give me more leg drive from the bottom. 3 reps were fine but 4th rep was godawful as my hips rose way before the bar did. 5th rep was a bit better, but still not great. Think I was tired and found the bar too heavy.

3 new 5RMs today. Can't complain about that.

Alf Veedersane · 24-03-2017 4:37pm

So is it a case of going for new 5RMs again next week?

Well done on today! 3 nice new PRs on one session are rare enough

Mr. CooL ICE · 24-03-2017 5:02pm

Pretty much, yeah. It's linear progression so from now on, it'll be new 5rms every Friday. Squat and deadlift every Friday and bench every 2nd Friday.

Alan Thrall said the first time he squatted 180kg, he did it for 5 reps on this program. That's pretty impressive.

I won't be making 5kg increments every week and will have to reduce them to 2.5 soon. But I'll take these gains while I can get them.

Alf Veedersane · 24-03-2017 5:11pm

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

Pretty much, yeah. It's linear progression so from now on, it'll be new 5rms every Friday. Squat and deadlift every Friday and bench every 2nd Friday.

Alan Thrall said the first time he squatted 180kg, he did it for 5 reps on this program. That's pretty impressive.

I won't be making 5kg increments every week and will have to reduce them to 2.5 soon. But I'll take these gains while I can get them.

Yeah I remember that Alan Thrall video.

Seema like there's plenty of room in the maxes yet!

Mr. CooL ICE · 27-03-2017 2:25pm

March 27. Volume day

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt*
100kg x 3
110kg x 5
110kg x 5
110kg x 5
110kg x 5
110kg x 5

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
45kg x 5
45kg x 5
45kg x 5
45kg x 5
45kg x 5

Hang clean:
20kg x 10

Had a two day wedding this weekend. Drinking all day Saturday and dying until late afternoon yesterday, followed by eating as much as I could washed down with a handful of beers. Up this morning and ate my bodyweight in fry and croissants before going home.

Squats felt miserable but I was happy to grind out the whole session. OHP was OK but the 5th rep of all sets were a grind. Had no time for power cleans as I had to get the car NCTd. Waiting for it right now...

Under the circumstances, today was alright.

Mr. CooL ICE · 29-03-2017 8:54am

March 29. Recovery day

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 5

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5

Back raise:
x 6
Red band tight x 10
Red band tight x 10
Red band tight x 10

Had the band tied to the bottom in a way that made it more tense. Bit of a change up and got more hamstring burn.

Chinup:
x 10
x 8
x 8

Facepull:
29kg plate x 15
29kg plate x 15

Grand day

Alf Veedersane · 29-03-2017 9:31am

How do do you find the heavy/volume/recovery mix works for you?

Mr. CooL ICE · 29-03-2017 2:29pm

If you're talking about how do my legs feel, etc, there's doms after the volume day but that's about it really. If you're talking about the results, well, the recent 5RMs speak for themselves.

For the length of time I've been lifting, I really should be a lot stronger. I have spent a long time using dodgy form along with unsuitable programs so a simple, straight forward program like this is nice. It's considered the best intermediate lifter program by some (well, mostly the SS cult) and it's working for me for now.

Alf Veedersane · 29-03-2017 2:52pm

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

If you're talking about how do my legs feel, etc, there's doms after the volume day but that's about it really. If you're talking about the results, well, the recent 5RMs speak for themselves.

For the length of time I've been lifting, I really should be a lot stronger. I have spent a long time using dodgy form along with unsuitable programs so a simple, straight forward program like this is nice. It's considered the best intermediate lifter program by some (well, mostly the SS cult) and it's working for me for now.

I suppose I mostly meant how did you find the recovery between sessions - I don't know if I really knew what I meant when I asked

Edit: I suppose I was asking because I made progress on other programmes before but things like feeling too beaten up between sessions limited improvements or it felt like there wasn't enough volume on main lifts or that it was too one-paced. So partly asking why it works for you as well, I guess.

Mr. CooL ICE · 29-03-2017 6:43pm

I do feel a little beaten up going into the Recovery day after the Volume day. But what helps here is that there is only one deadlift topset in the entire week, so that helps a bit with recovery. Ripp relies on the carryover from the squat to help.

Recovery is key so lots of food and sleep is recommended, and is probably gonna be the death of me as I'm not doing enough of that. I'll probably burn out quicker than I'd like

Mr. CooL ICE · 31-03-2017 9:00am

March 31. Heavy day

Squat:
20kg x 7
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
* sleeves *
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 3
110kg x 2
120kg x 2
125kg x 5

New 5RM again. +5kg.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
40kg x 3
45kg x 2
50kg x 5

New 5RM. +2.5kg

Deadlift:
70kg x 5
90kg x 3
90kg x 3
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 3
140kg x 2
155kg x 3+F

Ugh. Sumos felt awful today. Couldn't get the leg drive right and felt all over the place. Even did top set like a bunch of singles together to ensure I set up correctly, but it just felt awful. Couldn't lock out 4th rep so just stopped.

I should dial back ~10kg, but I also want to go back to conventional. Sumos just don't suit me well. At the same time, I shouldn't just abandon something over one bad session.

Mixed bag of a day.

Alf Veedersane · 31-03-2017 9:35am

No harm in persevering a bit longer but there comes a point where you just have to make a call on whether it works better for you than conventional or not. You can always use it as an accessory to your conventional deadlift if it is going to address a weak point.

Very hard to call a session a mixed bag when you have PRs on two of the three big lifts! Fair play!

Mr. CooL ICE · 03-04-2017 9:01am

April 3. Volume day

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 3
110kg x 2
115kg x 5
115kg x 5
115kg x 5
115kg x 5
115kg x 5

These felt heavy and slow. Probably wasn't as aggressive during warmup sets as I could have. Still, this weight was a new 5RM 17 days ago so can't complain.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5

Felt weak as usual. Ugh.

Power clean:
20kg x 8 (hang clean)
30kg x 3 (hang clean)
40kg x 3
40kg x 3

Ran out of time so didn't finish.

Grand day. Food is badly needed now. Om nom nom.

Mr. CooL ICE · 05-04-2017 8:45am

April 5. Recovery day

Squat:
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
95kg x 5
95kg x 5

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5

Back raise:
Red band tight x 12
Red band tight x 12
Red band tight x 12

Pullup
x 8
x 8
x 8

Facepulls:
29kg plate x 12
29kg plate x 12
29kg plate x 12

Did lots of mobility work cos legs were stiff AF from Monday. Felt nice and fluid by the time I started. Squat sets are starting to feel heavyish for a Wednesday. Grand day overall.

Mr. CooL ICE · 07-04-2017 9:18am

April 7. Heavy day

Squat:
20kg x 6
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
* sleeve *
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 4
110kg x 2
120kg x 2
130kg x 5

New 5RM again, +5kg. Felt heavy, but never close to failing. Actually had a dream last night where I failed at the first rep and that was at the back of my mind. Not listening to the voices in your head saying "no, don't lift this, it's too heavy" really, really works.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
75kg x 2
80kg x 5

New 5RM, +2.5kg. Felt heavy but never close to failing either.

Deadlift (conv):
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
130kg x 3
145kg x 5

Matched conventional 5RM. Dialed back in weight from last week due to how that went. My time away from conventional meant my mind was fresh and hopefully the bad habits I built up over time wouldn't be as apparent today. I followed the simple 5 step setup from here and yeah, the weight moved much better. Think I'll stick with conventional and built it back up now.

Nice day. Can't complain.

Mr. CooL ICE · 10-04-2017 9:09am

April 10. Volume day

Squat:
20kg x 6
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 3
110kg x 2
120kg x 5
120kg x 5
120kg x 5
120kg x 5
120kg x 5

Fcuking hell, this was tough. Form felt inconsistent and the bar felt heavy. Sets 3 and 4 felt close to failure. Realised I had been looking up during those sets, which I generally don't do, so on the 5th set, set my eyes down and the bar moved way better.

Glad I got the work done but christ, wish I had done it better.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
45kg x 5
45kg x 5
45kg x 5
45kg x 5
45kg x 5

Power clean:
20kg x 5 (hang clean)
30kg x 5 (hang clean)
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3
40kg x 3

These were... umm... really good? Wtf? I didn't have time to complete all sets the previous two weeks, so made sure I made the time today. Just concentrated on controlling the pull and exploding once above the knee and it all worked out.

Good day. That said, the back of my neck feels in bits. Probably from trying to look up during squats. Ugh.

Mr. CooL ICE · 12-04-2017 8:54am

April 12. Recovery day

Lotsa mobility work

Squat:
20kg x 6
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
100kg x 5

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5
60kg x 5

Back raise:
Red band tight x 12
Red band tight x 12
Red band tight x 12

Pullup:
x 8
x 8
x 10

Facepull:
29kg plate x 12
29kg plate x 12

Small milestone day as from here onwards, every working squat rep is going to be triple figures. Scary.

Grand day.

Mr. CooL ICE · 14-04-2017 9:17am

April 14. Heavy day:

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
* sleeves *
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 5
110kg x 2
120kg x 2
130kg x 1
135kg x 5

New 5RM, +5kg. Recorded it and there was a lot of forward travel on the first rep and a little for the remaining reps. Something to work on. Still happy.

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
45kg x 2
52.5kg x 5

New 5RM, +2.5kg.

Deadlift:
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 3
140kg x 2
150kg x 5

Matched previous 5RM. New conventional 5RM. Recorded it and my back is rounding slightly from setup all the way through. Have to fix that too.

Good day, but I should record myself more often. Really opens the eyes.

Mr. CooL ICE · 17-04-2017 1:51pm

April 17. Volume day

Squat:
20kg x 7
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 5
110kg x 2
122.5kg x 5
122.5kg x 5
122.5kg x 5
122.5kg x 5
122.5kg x 5

These felt heeeavy. First two sets moved badly. Rest felt better as I realised I hadn't been pinning my shoulders down; only back. That extra lat tightness makes all the difference. Basics, yo

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 1
72.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
72.5kg x 5

These felt heavy. Last 1-2 reps of each set were grindy but overall, I didn't have to dig too deep.

Rear delt dumbbell flyes:
5kg x 8
7.5kg x 8
7.5kg x 8
7.5kg x 8

Was supposed to be power cleans, but lifting platforms were taken. Even cable station was busy so no facepulls, which are my go-to. Hadn't done these in a while so nice to mix things up a little.

I have been coming down with something cold-like over the weekend, so my energy wasn't all there. Sinuses being congested and having some easter egg before the gym didn't help matters. All things considered, I'm just glad I got most of the work done. Not having a time limit meant extra long rest periods, which helps.

Mr. CooL ICE · 19-04-2017 9:12am

April 19. Recovery day

Squat:
20kg x 8
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
100kg x 5

OHP:
20kg x 10
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5
40kg x 5

Back raise:
Red band tight x 12
Red band tight x 12
Red band tight x 12

Got a massive lower back pump from these. Didn't think I was supposed to? Oh well

Pullup:
x 8
x 8
x 10

Facepull:
29kg plate x 20

Grand day for it

Alf Veedersane · 19-04-2017 9:27am

Pretty sure there's no issue with getting a lower back pump from back raises.

Mr. CooL ICE · 21-04-2017 9:34am

April 21. Heavy day:

Squat:
20kg x 5
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
* sleeves*
80kg x 5
* belt *
100kg x 5
110kg x 3
120kg x 2
130kg x 2
140kg x 5

Boom! New 5RM. 140x5 was my target for a while as this is my current PR. So I matched it for a set of 5. My legs felt like jelly after the 4th rep and 5th rep was a grind. Absolutely fcuking delighted.

Bench:
20kg x 10
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
77.5kg x 2
82.5kg x 5

Another 5RM. Rep 3 was dodgy. I think I kicked in leg drive late. Was probably only when the bar started to slow down. Reps 4 and 5 were better.

Deadlift:
50kg x 5
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
* belt *
130kg x 2
145kg x 2
155kg x 5

Aaaaand another 5RM. Figured out a cue which had been missing all along (involves tilting the pelvis forward) and I got hamstring tension which I hadn't felt in a while. Bar moved so much better. I took my time between reps to make sure my setup was perfect and it paid off. Basics, yo

Good start to the weekend.

Sets of faahve

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