uh: my training journal

[Nicholas_Weir]

Impressive Ohp

[awaken375]

305lb deadlift x8
125lb overhead press x15
135lb bench press x20

deadlift is not making gains rep-wise. it feels easier at first each time i do them, but less than last time. it could've been because i didn't have my chalk and my grip started failing, but after i got sloppy with my lockout i started to not make it there. chalk got lost, have to get more tomorrow. also can't find in the backlog how frequently i deadlifted before, when i was making mad gains. i remember thinking about how every 72 hours was too often, so i'm going to switch my routine to every other day instead of 2 days on 1 day off. this will give all my lifts a 4 day rest period.

thanks for the compliment on the ohp

[awaken375]

2 days ago: 260 bent row x24
90 preacher curl x24
270 assisted dip x16
190 crunch x24

tonight:
305 deadlift x14
125 ohp x21
135 bench x24
65x2 side raise x14
65x2 shrug x24-26 (lost count)

[awaken375]

around 1:30am:

265 barbell bent row x13
95lb preacher curl x22
270 assisted dips x20
190lb crunch x24 or 26, kept losing count..

it seems like my barbell bent rows are finally slowing down. this is the first time since around 220lb that i couldn't do more than 20 right away per 5 pound increase.

also the preacher curls i did tonight were with a bar that i ASSUME was 25lb by itself. ez-bar, looks olympic, research suggests it was. i hate the squeaky noise it makes while curling it!

all in all a good workout.

[awaken375]

305lb deadlift x13
125 ohp x24
140 bench x23
65x2 side raise x15
70x2 shrug x24

[awaken375]

Wednesday:

265lb bent row x24
95 preacher curl x24
150 assisted dip x21
190 crunch x24

today:

305 deadlift x17
130 ohp x13
140 bench x24
65x2 side raise x20 (+4 not full ROM)
75x2 shrug x24-25

[awaken375]

found out that the ez-bar i was using was 35 pounds, which would explain why it was so difficult to curl with when i started using it compared to the preloaded things.. so add 5 pounds to all my preacher curls since i started doing 90..
today i added 5 anyway

270 bent row x24
105 preacher curl x24
150 assisted dip x22 (getting heavier, i assume that makes it more difficult to raise the reps consistently)
190 crunch x24 (third time same weight, the machine doesnt have anymore)

the bent rows i'm doing are pretty quick and dirty. i'm going to stay at 270 for a workout or two to fix my form, and drop the weight on preacher curl to about 90 so i don't start hurting myself.

[awaken375]

wednesday:
305 dl x11 or 12
130 ohp x14
145 bench x22
65x2 side raise x12 +4 faily reps
80x2 shrug x24

[awaken375]

275 bent row x24
100 preacher curl x24
270 assisted dip x24
285 assisted pullup x1
190 crunch x40

[awaken375]

305 deadlift x24
130 ohp x24
145 bench press x24
65x2 side raise x24 (although most of these reps were not total range of motion, i count them because i want to)
85x2 shrug x24
40 front lat raise x24

finally broke the deadlift plateau. adding weight on each of these next time. awesome workout!

[awaken375]

tuesday:

280 bent row x24
105 preacher curl x24
255 assisted dip x15
285 assisted pullup x1 1/2
190 crunch x40

today:

310 deadlift x12
135 ohp x24
150 bench x24
70x2 side raise x24
90x2 shrug x24
60 front raise x24

[awaken375]

285 bent row x24
110 preacher curl x24
255 assisted dip x21
285 assisted pullup x1 3/4
190 crunch x40

[awaken375]

310 deadlift x16
140 ohp x24
155 bench x13
75x2 side raise x12
95x2 shrug x24
70 front raise x25

-

so deadlifting tonight was interesting. left hamstring failure caused an amazing experience. i've been seeing flashes of light on my 285 lb bent row, at the top of the rep. today i saw flashes of light while deadlifting and after doing 16 reps, i waited for a few minutes to do the next set, but i failed mid-pull and saw intense light, got dizzy, wondered if i was dying, and then it all melted into the music shaking. this was my queue to stop deadlifting for the night. i am not going to take a break, i believe this was a side effect of muscle failure (intense release of endorphins).

my overhead press was usual.
my bench i read how to do better last night so i widened the grip (elbows perpendicular to the floor at the bottom of the motion) and this made it more difficult, plus i got way more stimulation in the chest so of course i failed with fewer reps than usual (although it was a new weight).
side raises are strange to me, it seems like i fail when i do them rapidly, but if i breathe enough fresh blood through the muscles i can do more reps on them. nonetheless i let it slide and considered the first time this happened a failure.
the shrugs are getting hard as fuck to get done because of pulling the dumbbell off the rack, but they are still easy to do.
and the front raise was funny because i did 1 rep more than i wanted to, since 1 time i wasn't sure if it was the full range of motion or not.

[awaken375]

290 lb bent row x24
115 preacher curl x24
255 assist dip x24-26
285 assist pullup x2 1/2
190 crunch x40

tonight was run of the mill
i read to pull with the elbows (something i knew a few years ago, but forgot since getting back into the gym) on the barbell bent row, and haven't done that until about 280lb. i can't do that for more than a set or so, before doing the previous form (mostly arm muscles, less back). it's not so bad, i hope it catches up before i have to drop weight.

[awaken375]

310 deadlift x18
145 ohp x22
155 bench x24
75x2 side raise x23
100x2 shrug x24
80 front raise x24

2 more deadlifts than last time, on 19 got all the way up but dropped the bar instead of locking out.
front raises needed cheating form to get up, i.e. pushing w/ back
will probably drop weight on that to stay solid