Cillian O' Connor Training Log

This was my first time back doing a proper heavy upper body session since November. For the foreseeable future I'll be doing all back/scap/pulling movement before pressing, under orders from my physical therapist.

Scap retracs with red band 3x8 with 6 second pause
- monotonous as usual, but my retractors feel stronger and less impinged
Scap pullups 3x10
- these are also a pain, mentally and physically. I'm supposed to do them with a few seconds hold at the top but I lost the strength to do that a while back for some reason.
- Tiny bit of shoulder pain doing these
Green band-assisted pullups 3x12
- very tough, still a long way to go in reclaiming vertical pulling strength
Band pull-aparts 3x15
Dumbell Rows 3x15 @20kg
-could usually do this with 25s but my pulling muscles were knackered after the pullups. Worth it though.

Bench 5x5 @70kg
-this felt pretty heavy, possibly due to all the work done before it and also the fact that I did this with 60kg just 2 days ago.
- slight shoulder pinch on the initial push, but it seemed to vary depending on where I touched with the bar (higher up was better)
Dumbell shoulder press 4x15 with 12.5kg bells
- could have done this with heavier weight but erring on side of caution with shoulder as it nearly blew up doing this with a barbell 2 days ago

Monday 9th, Russian Squat Programme session #6:

Squat 6x5 @112kg/80%
-first few sets were very tough. Again I think it's cus I'm taking too much time on the eccentric phase, almost turned one rep into a pause squat. I'll do more reps with the bar to work on technique before moving up next time.
-was fairly knackered after this, then told myself to man the **** up and do some deadlifts

Speed Deads 10x1 @130kg
-first few reps felt pretty tough, then the last 5 flew up. All the reps I'm getting in are doing wonders for my tecnhique.

Dead Bugs 3x20
-I at first tried doing these with both legs elevated and with arm movement, but realised I couldn't keep a neutral spine, so I've gone back to alternating elevated legs. My core muscles recover pretty quick so I'll start doing these 3x a week.

Russian Squat Programme session #7

Squats 6x2 @120kg/80%
-piss

Speed deads 8x1 @140kg/85%
-surprisingly easy for how close this was to my max. Makes me think I'll definitely pull a PR when I test my max next

****ed around with some snatches and C&Js for the craic

Friday 13th June, Russian Squat Programme session #8

Squat 6x6 @112kg
- very tough altogether

Felt it best to lay off the 85% deadlifts after all that volume. Did some snatch practice instead.

Mon 4th August

Last heavy day of russian squats
140kg 2x2 -last set was pretty hard

Tuesday 5th Aug

Squat 6x2 @112 - felt almost as hard as the 140!
Overhead press 50kg for sets of 4
Bench @60kg for sets of 10
Push-ups

Thursday 7th Aug pull session

Pull-ups 6x4
Scap pull-ups 3x15
Scap retracs 3x20
Face pulls 5x25
De Franco style pull aparts 4x25
Bicep curls 4x20

Pull-ups 4x5
Scap pull-ups 2x10 with 5s hold at top
Scap retracs @35lbs
Face pulls 5x20

Circuit of 4 rounds:
12 cable curls 25lbs
15 dead bugs
25 defranco pull aparts
20 leg raises (10 each leg)

Worked up to 60kg snatch but stopped due to shoulder pain

Back squat 120 6x3
- meant to do this for sets of 5 but wasn't feeling it in the legs at all. I'll aim for sets of 4 at this weight next time. Felt like I could have done 9 sets at this weight, but want to save my energy for front squats on Friday

Overhead press 4x4 @50kg
-this was hard. Try for 5 sets next time.

Meant to do some core work but was strapped for time.

Snatch Pulls @75kg
-tried doing regular snatches but were sore at even 40kg
-need to extend more at top

Overhead press @50kg 2x5, 1x4

Bench @60kg 2x10, 1x8

-overall felt very flat and weak for this session

Thursday 20th

Pullups 5x5
Barbell Row 3x10 @50kg (need to use less weight on this if my muscles are already fatigued)
Ring Rows 4x10

Conditioning, 7/8 rds of:
4 runs with prowler
10 curls with empty bar

Friday 6th

Didn't have long in the gym so just tested a few exercises to see if they still hurt. Physio told me to keep it light enough as my shoulder would be a bit unstable after Thursdays rubdown.

Snatch- went up to 50 but was hurting before that anyway so I stopped. The reps that are good have little or no pain. Crap reps give me quite a sore pull in the shoulder.

Clean and jerk - also sore, mainly just the jerk part but the clean too if I don't get my elbows up. Stopped at 60kg

Dips - bar dips were less sore than rings. Odd as it used to be other way around.

Anger is my friend. Started trying to be more aggressive with the clean and it helped immensely. Same for upping the ante on my front squats and back squats.

Clean, up to 85kg
- current max is 92, but this is the best the clean has felt for me at a heavy weight

Front squat 4x3 @100kg
-want to work up to 5x3 at this before I move up in weight

Back Squat 3x5 @110kg
-this here is a slog. I'd be doing this for higher volume if it weren't for the fact that I'm nowhere near my max strength on my clean, so I have enough in the tank for sets of 5. Clean is currently more like a nice warmup for front squats. Once I hit 100 that'll be a diff. story.

Snatch: up to 50kg and stopped due to pain
- **** sake

Back Squat 3x5 @120
-very hard

Glute Bridges 3x12 @60kg

Started my own programming for building my bench press today, as the oly lifts are currently a no go for the shoulder. Based loosely around what Travis Mash does with his athletes: 4 week cycles with one normal week, a high vol. week, then high intensity week, then deload. To focus on bench, I'm doing 2 heavy bench sessions a week, and one less heavy. Deadlift and squat will also still be trained on seperate days to maintain strength.

Scap Pullups 4x10 2s hold
Scap retracs 3x8 with thick red band 6s hold

Bench 5x3 @82.5
- pretty tough!
- need to press in more of straight line. Currently curving towards my head

Press @40kg 3x7
-perfect weight for this

Push-ups 4x10
Pull-ups 3x4

Ring rows 3x12

Shoulder bit achey after this session, even though it didn't hurt during.