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Cillian O' Connor Training Log

Cill94

Russian squat programme, session #4:

Squats: 6x4 @ 112kg(80%)
-felt heavy, but mainly due to focusing so much on staying tight and avoiding the dreaded tail tuck, which made the descent a lot slower.
-may have actually done 7 sets because I lost track between the 3rd and 4th sets

Speed deadlifts: 10x1 @ 130kg (80%)
- these were heavy but as for all speed sets for me, got easier as I went on
-still need to focus more on keeping bar in contact with shins and leading with chest

No time for core work as gym was closing.

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Cill94

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

Cill94

Russian squat programme, session #5:

Squat, 6x2 @112kg(80%)
-easy peasy, really dying to start adding more weight on the bar in week 4
-I can now feel where the tail tuck happen and it only happens when I go a good bit past parallel. As powerlifting doesn't require ATG squats, this won't be a problem

Speed deads 10x1 @130kg(80%)
-felt a LOT easier than last session at this weight. Hopeful that my deadlift will go up by about 5kg by the end of this cycle.
-left shin continues to bleed all over the shop and destroy my trackies..bring tissue next time for cleanup

Band pull-aparts 4x20 (red band)
Face pulls 3x15 (purple band)

Cill94

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.

Cill94

Tuesday 10th Upper Body

Scap pullups 4x15
-When I'm doing these for sets of 20 I'll start doing the hold at the top
Scap Retracs 3x8, 6s hold (red band)
- new goal is to be able to do these with the green band
Pullups (green band) 2x12, 1x11
- tough, and seriously fatigued my pulling muscles! Annoyingly missed the last rep
Dumbell Rows @20kg bells 3x15
-feeling the burn big time

Bench 5x5 @75kg
- feeling heavy but damn I'm happy to have added 15kg to the bar in such a short time after coming back from injury
- Bar path v. important for avoiding pain. Touching just bleow the nipple seems to be best for me, strength and pain wise. Also took my grip in an inch or so (now benching a thumb's length away from where knurling begins)

D.bell sh. press 3x15 @12.5kg
Tried doing these standing up and couldn't do 15. However doing that defeated the purpose of training my shoulder muscles, as it was my core and low back that limited me. And while you could argue that it's more 'functional' to press from standing, my competitive pressing will be done lying down! More important to pick the exercsie that will maximally stimulates my shoulder muscles.

Some tricep pushdowns and band pull-aparts with red band

Cill94

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

Cill94

Upper Body

Scap Pullups 4x15
-I'll do 5 sets next time
Scap retracs 3x15
-in a rush to start bench so just did more reps rather than use the pause

Bench 3x5 @80kg
-no shoulder pain for first time!

-this is probably close to the most I've ever done for sets of 5! 100kg bench around the corner
- I'll lower the weight by a few kilos next session so I can hit 5 sets of 5

Push Press to a 1RM -> 65kg
- no scientific reason for doing this, just wanted to. A bit sore on the shoulder though.

Pullups (green band) 3x12
- I'm going to do these for sets of 6 or 8 from now on. I'm remembering how hard high volume pullups are to be consistent with

D.bell rows @20kg bells 3x15
Red band pull-aparts 3x15

Cill94

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.

Cill94

Upper Body Accessory

Scap pullups 4x15
Face Pulls 4x20
Band Pull-aparts 4x20 (red band)
Scap retracs 3x15 (red band)

Superset 4x20 tricep pushdowns + cable curls
- ...because sometimes training has to be fun too

Dead Bugs 4x15

Cill94

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

Cill94

Russian squat programme, final max test day

Squat
140kgx1
145kgx1 PR
150kgx1 PR - very, very tough

Overhead press 4x6 @40kg
Bench 5x10 @50kg

Conditioning: 8 rds of 4 prowler runs + 8 push-ups

Edwardius

Cill94 wrote: »

Russian squat programme, final max test day

Squat
140kgx1
145kgx1 PR
150kgx1 PR - very, very tough

Overhead press 4x6 @40kg
Bench 5x10 @50kg

Conditioning: 8 rds of 4 prowler runs + 8 push-ups

Saw the video, nice work!

Cill94

Edwardius wrote: »

Saw the video, nice work!

Thanks man

Cill94

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)

Cill94

11th Aug

Front Squat 5/6x3 @95kg (need to add at least 20kg to this in the next few months)

Worked up to max clean PR of 92kg (previous max was 80!)

Clean pulls @96kg - good weight for this, did about 8 reps in total

B.bell rows 3x10 @50kg (stick at this weight for a while)

Cill94

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.

Cill94

Thurs 14th

C&J up to 80kg (pb)
Front Squat @95kg 3x4 (should have done at least one more set but had to leave)

Monday 18th

Power Clean up to 76kg
- not really a max but was the weight where my technique went down the ****ter. Actually meant to do clean and jerk but the jerk was hurting my shoulder. Will probably stick to pulls until pain goes away.

Front Squat 95kg 5x5
-strength going up quick enough in this

Pull-ups 4x5
Ring rows 3x10

Cill94

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

Cill94

Back Squat 3x5 @120kg
-stronger than this day last week!

Circuit, 4 rds of:
15 pushups
15 deadbugs
10 curls with 12.5kg bells, while balancing on one leg to engage core (idea I robbed from Elliott Hulse :P)

-I really like the idea of killing 2 birds with stone i.e. doing accessory work and conditioning at the same time

Edwardius

Cill94 wrote: »

10 curls with 12.5kg bells, while balancing on one leg to engage core (idea I robbed from Elliott Hulse :P)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K0Esd1-ZEE

Cill94

Edwardius wrote: »

vid from a great film

I'm innocent I tell you!

Cill94

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

Cill94

One week in Greece of drinking, crap food and no sleep = a 5kg front squat PR

Worked up to 115kg front squat PB
- will be doing the russian squat programme for this so!

Back squat 3x5 @110kg
- Very tough. My weakpoint seems to be towards the top of my squat, past parallel. Dunno which muscle group is lagging. Dave Tate seems to say it's the glutes and I know I'm not great at glute bridges, so decided to do those.

Glute Bridge 4x10 @60kg
-tough enough

Cill94

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.

Cill94

Couldn't get to the gym today cus I was in work, so trained from home.

Pull-ups 3x6
Push-ups 3x20, 1x17, 1x3

4 rds:
20 curls
25 glute bridges
20 tri extensions
15 deadbugs (both legs elevated)

Cill94

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.

Cill94

Pulling/scap work:
Scap pullups 3x17
Face pulls 4x20
Ring rows 4x12

Push press 5x3 @60kg

Strict press 3x4 @50kg
- very hard. Probably better off doing this for sets of 5/6

Pushups 3x20

Band pull-aparts 4x25

This session felt like it had very little direction. I think I should restrict the scap work to the scap pullups, retractions, and ext. rotations my physio gave me to do. Need to get shoulder as close to 100% as possible.

Cill94

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

Back Squat 3x5 @120
-very hard

Glute Bridges 3x12 @60kg

Cill94

2 sessions from my recent trip to Austria:

Session 1

Bench 5x5 @80kg

Barbell rows
Push-ups
Pull-ups

Session 2

Back squat 7x3 @125
Front Squat 3x6 @90kg
Glute Bridge 5x10 @60kg

Cill94

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.

Cill94

^ Have rethought things and to feck with that, I'm not one for half-arsing things. I'll stick with oly lifting to whatever degree my shoulder health allows. I got my shoulder to the point where I could do pull-ups, presses and bench for the first time without pain. Nailing the oly lifts will just need a bit more focus + dedication.

C&J to 70kg
-actually got this far with basically no pain. I stopped at this weight because my jerk technique started going to ****. Did a few reps at 60 then with okay-ish form.

Front Squat 6x3 @100kg
-got easier as the sets went on. Felt I could have done 8/9 sets but had to save some energy for b.squats.
-will try for 4x3 @105 next time

Back Squat 3x5 @110kg
- very tough. But may be able to do sets of 6 next time.

Glute Bridge 4x25
-tried to do this with a 60kg bar but got a sharp pain at the top of my glute!
-Decided to do it unweighted to still get some glute hypertrophy in there

X band walks 3x15 (each leg)