I don't know what I'm doing but I know what I've done

Alf Veedersane · 08-03-2014 2:34pm

Saturday 8/3/2014

Single Arm KB Swings
4 rounds each arm
45s on, 45s off @ 24kg

CGBP
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
65kg x 5
65kg x 4 - too far back on bench and clipped pin on way up on 4th rep. The wobble took a bit so left it at that
60kg x 5
55kg x 5

Side Bends
50kg x 4 x 20

Reverse Curls
25kg x 4 x 10

Front Squats
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
65kg x 3
70kg x 1
75kg x 1
80kg x 1 - PR.
82.5kg x F - if i'd had time to have another go, I'd have nailed it. Pretty happy with the 80 though. Didn't intend to test it but it was feeling solid so said I might as well.

Alf Veedersane · 10-03-2014 8:57pm

Monday 10/3/2014

Madcow W9D1

Squats
55kg x 5
67.5kg x 5
80kg x 5
92.5kg x 5
107.5kg x 1 - wtf? Second rep was going fine til I rolled the bar further up my neck and down I came. FFS.
107.5 x 3 - same shít again. WTF.
115kg x 1 - PR. Had the second rep coming up til the bar moved again. I have a suspicion it's because my wrists are getting into a terrible position once I get into position and then on the way back up I try to correct it and roll the bar. Something to work on but the last one showed me it's not my legs that are the problem.

Barbell Rows
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 5
92.5kg x 5

Bench
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 5
55kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 4 - the wobble fest on the 4th rep probably cost me the last rep. Came up 3 inches off my chest then stopped.

Front Squats
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
65kg x 5 - nothing left in my legs for any more than that.

Pull Ups
BW x 4 x 6 - had to hit the road so left it at 4 sets.

Plenty to work on for next day on squats. Maybe wraps for a session just to train the wrists. PR was encouraging.

Think I'll drop back on the bench for a bit. Maybe Smolov Jr for bench 'cause 2wks in a row i've gone for 5 and got 4. Unless I hit the 5 on Friday.

stuchyg · 10-03-2014 10:12pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Monday 10/3/2014

Madcow W9D1

Squats
55kg x 5
67.5kg x 5
80kg x 5
92.5kg x 5
107.5kg x 1 - wtf? Second rep was going fine til I rolled the bar further up my neck and down I came. FFS.
107.5 x 3 - same shít again. WTF.
115kg x 1 - PR. Had the second rep coming up til the bar moved again. I have a suspicion it's because my wrists are getting into a terrible position once I get into position and then on the way back up I try to correct it and roll the bar. Something to work on but the last one showed me it's not my legs that are the problem.

Barbell Rows
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 5
92.5kg x 5

Bench
40kg x 5
47.5kg x 5
55kg x 5
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 4 - the wobble fest on the 4th rep probably cost me the last rep. Came up 3 inches off my chest then stopped.

Front Squats
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
65kg x 5 - nothing left in my legs for any more than that.

Pull Ups
BW x 4 x 6 - had to hit the road so left it at 4 sets.

Plenty to work on for next day on squats. Maybe wraps for a session just to train the wrists. PR was encouraging.

Think I'll drop back on the bench for a bit. Maybe Smolov Jr for bench 'cause 2wks in a row i've gone for 5 and got 4. Unless I hit the 5 on Friday.

If you want to ease up on your bench then give smolov jnr a miss, trust me

Alf Veedersane · 10-03-2014 10:14pm

stuchyg wrote: »

If you want to ease up on your bench then give smolov jnr a miss, trust me

I've done it before but I wouldn't be starting into it straight away anyway.

Alf Veedersane · 12-03-2014 7:22pm

Wednesday 12/3/2014

Squats
55kg x 5
70kg x 5
82.5kg x 2 x 5

OHP
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 3 - have plateaude on this. Time to dial it back and rebuild.

Deadlift
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
130kg x 5
160kg x 5 - by right I should have been lifting 157.5, if I was still following the Madcow progression but it's my last week at that, so i put it up to my 1RM. And got 5 reps. Might keep stepping it up bit by bit and dropping to 3 reps over next few weeks. Had a target of 180 as a 1RM by the end of June so reckon I'm on target for that.

Good Mornings
45kg x 4 x 12

RDLs
60kg x 12
80kg x 12
100kg x 2 x 8

Had planned to go home at that but threw in 2 token sets of DB incline benching

20kg x 8
30kg x 5 - token rep PR

Enjoyed that.

Alf Veedersane · 14-03-2014 8:49pm

Friday 14/3/2014

Squats
60kg x 5
85kg x 3
100kg x 2
110kg x 1
120kg x F - thought I had it at the bottom. I didn't
115 x 2 - rep PR. I'll take that.
100kg x 5

Barbell Rows
50kg x 8
60kg x 8
70kg x 8
82.5kg x 8
95kg x 3 (+ 2 more "reps")

Bench
30kg x 8
45kg x 8
60kg x 5
70kg x 2
77.5kg x 3 - PR. 5kg heavier than I've ever benched.
80kg x 1 - cudda been a double

Front Squat
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 1
80kg x 1
85kg x 1 - it'd be a PR if i wasn't questioning depth and if you're questioning it, you probably didn't hit depth

Pull Ups
BW x 11, 7, 7, 6

Side Bends
52.5kg x 4 x 20 (2 rounds each side)

EZ Bar Curls
30kg x 4 x 10.

One word: buzzin'.

Squatted alright, benched way beyond what I expected. It's been a really good week in the gym.

As an aside, the music was pretty damn good in Raw this evening. Ne'er a bit of dance music in sight, which helps when I've broken my mp3 player.

Alf Veedersane · 15-03-2014 1:28pm

Saturday 15/3/2014

Single Arm KB Swings
4 rounds each arm with 28kg KB
45s on, 60s off

CGBP
40kg x 8
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3 - rep PR
72.5kg x 2 - PR
75kg x 1 - PR but should've been a double. Not sure why I re-racked. Just didn't think I'd have more in me for the single.
60kg x 6

OHP
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
40kg x 2 x 5
42.5kg x 2 x 5
45kg x 4

Dips
BW x 6 x 10

That didn't suck donkey balls anyway. Only realised after yesterday that my shítty shoulders never crossed my mind on the bench yesterday so I eased them back into stuff I'd avoided for a while.

Kept dips to BW and didn't push the weight too high on OHP (partly because it's sensible and mostly because I probably couldn't)

Going thru a bit of a purple patch this week on the bench. CGBP felt solid and all paused reps. Shouldn't be too long before it kicks my ass to remind me who's the boss but i'll take these days when they come.

RidleyRider · 15-03-2014 1:57pm

Awesome progress man.

Alf Veedersane · 15-03-2014 2:53pm

RidleyRider wrote: »

Awesome progress man.

Cheers.

Felt like a long time where there wasn't much progress and any progress was slow. But it's a marathon not a sprint (and other cliches) so glad to have a session like yesterday's.

Alf Veedersane · 16-03-2014 1:09pm

Sunday 16/3/2014

Squats
77.5kg x 10 x 10

Bench
62.5kg x 2 x 5 - the intention was for ten sets but delt started acting up on 2nd set so I decided not to push my luck and do any more pressing.

YLTWI
3 rounds with 10 reps for each exercise using 5kg DBs

Seated Plate-loaded Row
50kg x 20
80kg x 15
100kg x 12
110kg x 2 x 10

Alf Veedersane · 17-03-2014 2:26pm

Monday 17/3/2014

Didn't feel like going in, when I woke up but felt better after a bit of rolling.

Squats
50kg x 5
75kg x 3
105kg x 2
115kg x 1 - well, it wasn't a fail, per se, but not deep enough. Felt fine though so said I'd go a bit higher.
117.5kg x 1
100kg x 3 x 5 - enjoyed these mostly because just before the first one I remembered one day maybe 18months ago when I saw some lad squatting 60kg and I set myself the goal of being able to squat with a 20 on each end of the bar.

Reverse Curls
20kg x 4 x 15

Barbell Rows
50kg x 8
60kg x 8
70kg x 8
82.5kg x 8
95kg x 5

Side Bends
45kg x 4 x 20 (2 rounds each side)

T-Bar Rows
40kg x 10
45kg x 10
55kg x 10
60kg x 10

Only tried those once before. Didn't set myself right for first set ann hopped the bar off myself. Not recommended.

Alf Veedersane · 19-03-2014 8:36pm

Wednesday 19/3/2014

Squats
60kg x 5
72.5kg x 5
85kg x 2 x 5

Deadlift
70kg x 5
90kg x 5
110kg x 5
140kg x 3
165kg x 3
170kg x 2

Reverse Flys on Pec Deck
Pin 5 x 4 x 15

Reverse Curls
25kg x 3 x 12

Russian Twists
20kg x 4 x 20

Wrist Curls
20kg x 4 x 15

Satisfied enough. Focus was deadlift but legs felt tired going in. Probably not eating enough to recover better. 165 for 3 is a lower theoretical 1rm than last week but I felt like the 5 reps would've been there. Form went to shít for 2 rep of 170 so rather than head down the road to Snap City, I took my leave. A satisfying session, I guess.

Alf Veedersane · 20-03-2014 9:25pm

Thursday 20/3/2014

An hour of hot yoga.

It was like the instructor took all the best bits of Supple Leopard and had us do them. Magic on my hips.

Squats tomorrow it is!

Alf Veedersane · 21-03-2014 11:56am

Friday 21/3/2014

Squats
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 2
110kg x 1
105kg x 3 x 3
95kg x 2 x 5 - was gonna go for a 3rd set but thought it better to be have enough for at least 1 rep at front squat...

Good Mornings
50kg x 4 x 12

Barbell Rows
50kg x 10
60kg x 10
72.5kg x 10
85kg x 8
97.5kg x 3
80kg x 5 x 5

Front Squat
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
82.5kg x 1 - PR. Would have had more but wrist still needs working on and had started to feel like it was too close to something happening.
85kg x F - not today, Josephine.

Standing Calf Raises
Pin 8 x 12
Pin 9 x 12
Pin 10 x 3 x 12

Ok session. Had underestimated how much the yoga would take out of my legs today. Still, no mobility issues with my hips today.

Getting better with the proper grip on front squat. Pushing it more with heavier weights. Still need to do more on it in between sessions. Other factors that could be guilty of affecting it don't seem to be in issue.

Alf Veedersane · 22-03-2014 1:38pm

Saturday 22/3/2014

Kept it light.

Tabata Row
10 rounds; 30s on, 30s off
Average 154m/30s at setting of 10.

Preacher Curls
27.5kg x 5 x 10

Side Bends
3 rounds each side.
45kg x 20

Seated Plate-loaded Row
Wide, underhand grip.
60kg x 20
80kg x 15
100kg x 3 x 10

Alf Veedersane · 23-03-2014 1:01pm

Sunday 23/3/2014

CGBP
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
75kg x 2 - good battle on that 2nd rep. Token rep PR.
65kg x 2 x 5
70kg x 4

Front Squat
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3 - mate suggested I narrow my stance a bit more so brought it in by 4 or 5 inches.
82.5kg x 3 - rep PR. Felt much stronger than Friday's single at same weight. Mate said it looked more solid than the triple at 70.
85kg x 3 - PR.
70kg x 5 x 5

Tricep Pushdown
80 x 15
100 x 3 x 15
110 x 15

Seated Close Grip Rows
80kg x 15
90kg x 15
100kg x 15
110kg x 12
120kg x 10

A nice bit of volume on the close grip bench and front squats. Front squat feels so much stronger with narrower stance. The grip is improving too and the top set was done with proper grip but wrist felt like it was going to fall off off after it so did the 5x5 with cross-arm grip.

Alf Veedersane · 24-03-2014 8:54pm

Monday 24/3/2014

Squats
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
90kg x 3
105kg x 2 x 5
105kg x 4 - those last two sets were ugly. It felt shít. Bit disappointed but it's better than the 3x3 the last day. Gonna work on building up reps at that weight

Glute machine/kickback thingy
60kg x 15
70kg x 15
80kg x 15
90kg x 15 - all of those for each leg. The machine started to seize up towards the end making the last set unpleasant

EZ Bar Curls
30 x 4 x 15

Hamstring Curls
Pin 6 x 15
Pin 7 x 15
Pin 8 x 15
Pin 9 x 12
Pin 10 x 12 - my adductors aren't speaking to me anymore...

Seated Leg Press
100kg x 10
130kg x 10
150kg x 10
170kg x 10

Legtastic. Gonna take some whey when I get some. Despite the fact I thought I was getting enough from food, i'm gonna see if a bit more will help the legs recover more because they've felt a bit tired the last few weeks

Alf Veedersane · 26-03-2014 9:42pm

Wednesday 26/3/2014

Squats
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
90kg x 2 x 5

OHP
30kg x 5
42.5kg x 4 x 5 - first time pressing anything overhead in what felt like an eternity. Left it at 4 sets cos could feel 1 more set might be too much for shoulder just yet.

Deadlift
70kg x 5
100kg x 5
130kg x 3
160kg x 1
175kg x 1 - rushed it and took more than I'd intended so left it at a single and said I'd try the 180.
180kg x 1 - lockout never in doubt.

T-Bar Rows
Bar+50kg x 10
Bar+60kg x 3 x 10
Bar+45kg x 15

Happy enough with that. The plan last week was to pull 175 for 3 reps but between making a dogs dinner of first rep and being short on time, it didn't transpire. The 180 rescued it. A long poxy day became a good day.

Alf Veedersane · 28-03-2014 8:13pm

Friday 28/3/2014

Front Squats
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 5
80kg x 3
85kg x 2 - just lost it on the way back up. The cross-arm grip can go fúck itself. Too early to lose the bar forward with it.
75kg x 5 x 5 - Did most of the 5x5 with proper grip and they were good solid sets.

Barbell Rows
40kg x 10
50kg x 10
60kg x 10
70kg x 10
80kg x 10
90kg x 8 (+2 more "reps")

Bench
40kg x 10
60kg x 5 x 6
60kg x 5 - first time flat benching in a while and it sucked donkey balls.

Side Bends
2 rounds for each side.
47.5kg x 20 - good contraction in there. Unh!

Reverse Curls
25kg x 4 x 13

Wrist Curls
30kg x 3 x 12

Ok session. Was disappointed after top set of front squats but the 5x5 was strongest yet. Need to keep working on wrists cos I feel much better with proper grip on those now. Thought my benching would be better after two nights in a row they didn't feel like they'd imploded when I woke up.

Alf Veedersane · 29-03-2014 3:16pm

Saturday 29/3/2014

Good day for my brain to be on a sabbatical. Load of band pullaparts and rolling.

Tabata Row
10 rounds; 30s on, 30s off
Average 154m/30s at setting of 10.

Machine Crunches
3 x 15

YLTWI
3 rounds.
5kg dumbbells.
10 reps each exercise.

Thought I did something else but I can't remember. Glad I didn't do anything that might aggravate the shoulder. Last time it started to feel ok, I got carried away and did a few days in a row doing a selection of the worst exercises for aggravating it.

Alf Veedersane · 30-03-2014 11:55am

Sunday 30/3/2014

CGBP
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3 x 3
72.5kg x 2 x 3.
72.5kg x 2
70kg x 3

Squat
40kg x 5
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 1
105kg x 5 x 5 - had come in with the intention of 3x5 after struggling on that last Monday and missing last rep. Was feeling good so went for 5x5.
100kg x 7

Tricep Pushdown
90 x 15
110 x 3 x 15
120 x 10

Reverse Flyes on Pec Deck
Pin 5 x 3 x 12

Face Pulls
Pin 6 x 15
Pin 7 x 15
Pin 8 x 15
Pin 9 x 15

Fúck that hour change anyway. Left me an hour short of sleep... Made it to the gym but felt so tight I thought I'd end up struggling sooner than I'd like. A bit of rolling, stretching and band work helped and the squats felt relatively comfortable. First back squat session I've felt really good doing in a few weeks. Thought it wise to listen to mate's advice that banging out more sets at 100 after the 5x5 would just mess up my recovery. I'd just got a bit caught up in how good it felt.

CGBP was fine. Hadn't intended testing so said I'd go for a bit more volume at 90%+ of 1RM

Alf Veedersane · 31-03-2014 7:37pm

Monday 31/3/2014

Barbell Rows
50kg x 10
60kg x 10
70kg x 10
85kg x 5 x 5

Extended Plank
8 rounds with 20kg plate on my back.
30s on, 30s off

Close-grip plate-loaded rows
70kg x 20
90kg x 3 x 15

Supersetted with...wide, underhand grip rows
70kg x 20
90kg x 3 x 15

Preacher Curls
27.5kg x 2 x 12
30kg x 2 x 10
32.5kg x 8

Alf Veedersane · 02-04-2014 7:05pm

Wednesday 2/4/2014

Squats
50kg x 5
70kg x 5
90kg x 2 x 5

Deadlift
70kg x 5
110kg x 5
150kg x 2
170kg x 3 -

RDLs
70kg x 15
90kg x 15
110kg x 2 x 8 - last few reps were not pretty.

DB Incline Press
20kg x 2 x 12
25kg x 2 x 10 - didn't know if I'd do these and hadn't done them in a while so didn't expect much. So I was pretty happy with the sets at 25.

Walking Lunges
40kg x 4 x 10

Didn't have the focus I wanted for on my deadlifts but still lifted what I wanted to. Just not as smoothly as I should have.

Only went with 40kg for walking lunges because I hadn't done them in a while and didn't want to cripple myself. Felt way easier than expected. Pleasantly surprised.

Alf Veedersane · 03-04-2014 7:30pm

Thursday 3/4/2014

An hour of hot yoga.

Lizard posed and pigeon posed like a boss.

That's right....like a boss.

I feel more supple than a leopard that's just read a Kelly Starrett book and run through all the mobility work.

Alf Veedersane · 04-04-2014 11:27pm

Friday 4/4/2014

Squats
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 1
107.5kg x 5 x 3

Barbell Rows
40kg x 15
60kg x 15
85kg x 5 x 6

Bench
65kg x 5 x 5

Side Bends
47.5kg x 4 x 20 (2 rounds each side)

Russian Twists
20kg x 4 x 20

Happy with squats. Bench felt strange but got the reps after I took the grip in a bit more.

Came home to an apology from neighbours about their noisy new arrival and how it must affect our sleep. Anyone know a good sleeping supplement...?

Alf Veedersane · 05-04-2014 3:07pm

Saturday 5/4/2014

Front Squats
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
80kg x 3
85kg x 2 - not sure what happened on the 3rd rep but I forgot to push back up...
77.5kg x 5

CGBP
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
75kg x 3
70kg x 2 x 3

Barbell High Pull
30kg x 10
40kg x 10
50kg x 10
60kg x 10

Dips
BW x 10
+20kg x 4 x 6

Pull Ups
BW x 5 x 5

Hadn't intended doing front squats - kettlebell swings were on the menu but I cut my hand this morning so went for squats even thought I'd back squatted yesterday. Told in the last 2 sets.

Didn't want to push too hard on CGBP, dips or pull-ups because I didn't want to undo the improvement in my shoulder the last 48hrs.

Never tried the high pull before. I thought I'd start off with a hang pull but I tried from the ground with 30kg and felt form was good so carried on. Enjoyed it!

Good to do dips and pull ups again...haven't really done them in a while.

Alf Veedersane · 06-04-2014 1:05pm

Sunday 6/4/2014

KB Swings

Used the format of Dan John's '10,000 kettlebell swings in a month'.

5 rounds with 24kg KB.
100 swings per round made up of sets of 10, 15, 25, 50 with 30-60 s rest between rounds and 2-3mins after the set of 50.

After the sets of 10, 15, 25 there were OHPs (1, 2, 3) using what should be your 5RM. I used 45kg which is a bit lower but with my shoulders lately, I didn't want to go too hard too soon.

So, the result was 500 KB swings with 24kg KB and 30 OHPs with 45kg in 37.25...though I lost track of where I was and ended up doing a second set of 15 swings in the 4th round.

Extended Plank
5 rounds with 20kg on my back
30s on / 30s off

Preacher Curls
27.5kg x 15
30kg x 2 x 15
32.5kg x 2 x 12

Alf Veedersane · 07-04-2014 7:45pm

Monday 7/4/2014

Squats
107.5kg x 5 x 5

RDLs
60kg x 15
90kg x 12
105kg x 2 x 8

Barbell Rows
50kg x 10
65kg x 10
80kg x 10
95kg x 6

DB Incline Bench
20kg x 12
28kg x 3 x 7

The theme of that session was positive mental attitude.

Something sparked a thought in my mind that had me thinking.

I've done a couple of things...achieved a couple of things that took quite a bit of mental strength.

But how often have I prepared myself mentally, for a workout? I'm not sure I have. You do the mobility exercises and the warm ups because you need everything working in tandem. But it's too easy to forget that you need the mind and body working in tandem to get 100% out of yourself in the gym.

Today I did that. I didn't set the world on fire but I hadn't gone in looking for PRs. But 5x5 at a weight that's 10kg below my 1RM is fine. I could have stopped after 3 sets. That was the minimum requirement for today. I'd have taken that earlier. Often I have done that. Not fought to complete that set. But I knew I had 5x5. It might be hard but I could do it. So I did. I went through the rest of the workout and felt strong at the end.

But most of all I learned a valuable lesson about working out that can only help me better myself.

Take care of yourselves....aaaand each other.

Alf Veedersane · 09-04-2014 4:22pm

Wednesday 9/4/2014

Squats
50kg x 5
70kg x 5
85kg x 5
100kg x 5

OHP
32.5kg x 5
42.5kg x 5 x 5

Deadlift
70kg x 5
100kg x 5
140kg x 3
175kg x 3
185kg x 1 - tried a second but I was goosed. Hadn't intended going beyond the previous triple so I'll take that. Next time, the triple at 180 is the target.

Preacher Curls
30kg x 2 x 15
32.5kg x 2 x 15
35kg x 10

Close Grip Plate-loaded Row
70kg x 15
100kg x 15
90kg x 2 x 15

supersetted with...Wide, Underhand-grip Plate-loaded Row
70kg x 15
100kg x 15
90kg x 2 x 15

Face-Pulls
Pin 6 x 15
Pin 7 x 15
Pin 8 x 15
Pin 9 x 15

Pretty happy with that. Had a fight to lock out the 3rd rep at 170 last week so wasn't sure if I'd get all 3 at 175 today but the lockout on the 3rd wasn't in doubt, slow as it was at the top.

Didn't try to push the shoulders too far- right side still not fully right. But there was no trouble with it on the OHP.

Good, solid workout.

Alf Veedersane · 11-04-2014 3:17pm

Friday 11/4/2014

Squats
110kg x 5 x 3

Lunges
50kg x 4 x 20

Barbell High Pull
40kg x 10
50kg x 10
60kg x 2 x 10

Seated Calf Raises
70kg x 4 x 12

Incline Leg Press
150kg x 10
200kg x 10
250kg x 10
300kg x 10

Squats felt fine. Wasn't sure how they'd feel - have never done triples at 110 and certainly not after a work night out.

I don't know what I'm doing but I know what I've done

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